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tract, and a 
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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



HISTORY OF TEiNNESSEE 

From 1663 to 191 i 
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS 



G) R.' McGEE 

SUPERINTENDENT OF CITY SCHOOLS, JACKSON, TENN. 

TEACHER OF HISTORY IN PEABODY STATE INSTITUTE 

FORMERLY PRINCIPAL OF PEABODY HIGH SCHOOL, TRENTON, TENN. 



NEW YORK-:- CINCINNATI-:. CHICAGO 

AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY 






CoKYRiGHT, iSgg, 1909, igu 
G. R. McGEE. 

TENN. HIST. 
E P 20 






©CU:^9^3»)4 



PREFACE 



This book has been written because the teachers of the state have 
asked for it. How well it will meet their demands remains to be seen. 
It is the result, in book form, of the author's long observation and 
experience as principal of a large graded school and as an instructor in 
history in the state institutes. 

The material has been accumulated through many years and from 
many sources. In the few instances where there are conflicting state- 
ments I have followed my own judgment in reaching conclusions. 
Whenever possible, I have consulted persons, places, or original records. 
The greatest difficulty has been what to omit, as it is impossible to 
embrace all in the Hmits of a schoolbook. 

The book has been written for children of the fifth to the seventh 
grade of our public schools, and in language that they can understand. 
No effort has been made to do anything more than to tell the story of 
a great state in a manner that will interest the readers for whom it is 
intended. As the work progressed the test of scJioolrooin use has been 
applied unsparingly, and with satisfactory results. 

While intended for children, it is hoped that the book may prove 
interesting to older readers. Some usually accepted statements in the 
general history of our country have been flatly contradicted. This has 
been done deliberately and after careful investigation. Not to have 
done so would have been to leave the whole people of Tennessee mis- 
represented with regard to the Civil War, and would have been espe- 
cially unjust to the Union men of the state. History virtually presents 
them in the attitude of " Yankee sympathizers." The truth is they 
were simply Union men, without sectional consideration, and were as 
hostile to northern disunionists as they were to southern ones. On the 
other hand, nine tenths of the Confederate soldiers of Tennessee were 
never secessionists. Justice and our own self-respect demand that our 
children shall know the truth about these matters. 

The appendix, containing the Constitution of Tennessee and a num- 
ber of reference tables, will be found valuable to readers of every class. 

3 



4 PREFACE 

My thanks are due to Professor S. G. Gilbreath of Peabody Normal 
College, Superintendent C. S. Douglas of Gallatin, the officials of the 
State Library and of the Tennessee Historical Society, for special 
information on local history ; to Colonel John Allison of Nashville for 
permission to use freely his "Dropped Stitches in Tennessee History''; 
to Hon. John R. Walker of Trenton for aid in preparing the tables of 
the judiciary ; and to Superintendent S. A. Mynders of Jackson for 
assistance in reading the proofsheets. None of these gentlemen, how- 
ever, are responsible for any error that may be found in the book. 

I am especially indebted to my daughter, Miss Ora McGee, for her 
valuable services in preparing the manuscript for the press, and to the 
publishers for the taste and skill shown in the completed book. 



G. R. McGEE. 



Jackson, Texn., 
February 12, 1900. 



PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION 



The remarkable favor shown former editions of this book by critics, 
teachers, and the general public is gratefully acknowledged by both 
author and publishers. 

About all that could be said in praise of a schoolbook has already 
been said by the superintendents and teachers of the state in whose 
schools it has been a text-book for the past eleven years. 

In evidence of our gratitude for its kindly reception the book is now 
presented, revised, enlarged, and brought up to date. We hope that it 
may prove more charming and useful in the future than it has been in 
the past. 

G. R. McGEE. 

Jackson, Tenn., 
May, 1911. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PERIOD I. 1663-1769 

PAGE 

I. Introduction u 

II. Indians • 17 

III. Explorers 2v 

IV, Adventurers 29 

PERIOD 11. 1 769-1 796 

V. The Revolutionary War 34 

VI. The Pioneers 44 

VII. Watauga Association 53 

VIII. Robertson and Sevier 62 

IX. Kings Mountain 67 

X. Indian Wars 73 

XI. State of Franklin 78 

XII, The Cumberland Settlements 84 

XIII. Davidson County . . . 91 

XIV. The Spaniards ...,.,.... 95 
XV. The Territory ....,,.,,. 100 

XVI. Domestic and Social Life . 107 

PERIOD III. 1 796-1861 

XVTI. Starting the New Government , Iiz; 

XVIII. Administrations of Willie Blount 122 

XIX. Administrations of Joseph McMinn 131 

XX. Carroll, Houston, and Hall 140 

XXI. Administrations of William Carroll ...... 145 

XXII. Cannon's and Polk's Administrations . . . . . 150 

XXIII. James C. Jones's Administrations 159 

XXIV. Four Administrations 165 

XXV. Johnson and Harris 175 

5 



TABLE OF CONTExMTS 



PERIOD IV. 1861-1865 

PAGE 

XXVI. Nullification and Secession 184 

XXVII. Causes of the Civil War 191 

XXVIII. The Battle Ground 201 

XXIX. Famous Tennesseeans 208 



PERIOD V. 1865-1911 



XXX. Domestic Reconstruction . 

XXXI. Political Reconstruction 

XXXII. Senter's Administration 

XXXIII. Administrations of John C. Brown 

XXXIV. Administrations of Porter and Marks , 
XXXV. Hawkins's and Bate's Administrations 

XXXVI. Administrations of Taylor and Buchanan 

XXXVII. Administrations of Turney and Taylor 

XXXVIII. McMillin's Administration 

XXXIX. Frazier's Administration 

XL. Cox's Administration . 

XLI. Patterson's Administration 

XLII. Election of Governor Hooper 
XLIII, XLIV. Schools 

XLV. Conclusion 

APPENDIX 



Constitution of Tennessee 
Governors of Tennessee . 
Secretaries of State 
Comptrollers . . . . 

Treasurers 

Superintendents of Public Instruction 
State Board of Education 
Commissioners of Agriculture 
Attorneys General .... 
Judges of the Supreme Court . 
State Librarians .... 
Legal Holidays .... 



217 
221 
227 

233 
238 
243 
248 

255 
261 
265 
268 
271 
278 
282, 293 
. 299 



1 

. XXV 

. XXV 

. xxvi 

. xxvi 

. xxvii 

. xxvii 

. xxix 

. xxix 

. xxix 

. xxxi 

. xxxi 



(List of counties, with dates of formation, population, and county seats, 
pages 42, 43.) 



TO THE TEACHER 

Good maps and good books used under the direction of 
an earnest and conscientious teacher will almost invariably 
insure interest and enthusiasm in a history class. 

To teach history successfully you must have a fair 
knowledge of the general subject, — the broader the cul- 
ture, the better for all concerned. Perfect famiHarity with 
the text-book used is indispensable. Not the mere famil- 
iarity of knowing its words, but a clear view of its facts, 
geography, scope and purpose, references, and allusions. 

A good teacher seeks to interest, instruct, and inform 
his pupils ; a poor one, to prepare them for an examination. 

For the convenience of those who may use this book it 
has been divided into Periods, as follows : — 

Period I. extends from 1663, the date of Charles II. 's 
grant of Carolina to the Earl of Clarendon and his asso- 
ciates, to 1769, the date of the first known settlement 
of English-speaking people in Tennessee. The subjects 
treated in this period are Indians, Explorers, and Adven- 
turers. This period should be thoroughly mastered in its 
facts and geographical details, and its references clearly 
explained before the succeeding period is taken up. 

Period II. extends from 1769, the date of the first set- 
tlement, to 1796, the date of Tennessee's admission into 

7 



8 TO THE TEACHER 

the American Union. The subjects treated, under several 
minor headings, are the Settlement and Organization of 
the State. These twenty-seven years embrace the *' Heroic 
Age " of Tennessee. The period is the most eventful, 
romantic, and glorious in the annals of the state, with the 
possible exception of the era of civil war. Judiciously 
handled, it will be of absorbing interest and incalculable 
benefit to those who study it. 

Period III. extends from 1796, the date of Tennessee's 
admission into the Union, to 1861, the beginning of the 
Civil War. The subject treated is The State before the 
Civil War. It is the period of development in constitu- 
tional, legislative, and judicial affairs ; and of growth from 
pioneer communities into a great and powerful common- 
wealth. It is notable for the number of distinguished 
men it produced, and the prominent parts they took in the 
arena of both state and national politics. 

Period IV. extends from 1861 to 1865, and embraces the 
blood-stained years of The War betzveen the States. It 
should be closely studied in order that our young people, 
who are now so far from the din of that strife, may clearly 
understand the motives of the men of Tennessee who took 
part in that memorable struggle on either the Confederate 
or the Federal side. This is due the memory of the heroic 
dead, and to the spirit of true patriotism which has ever 
characterized Tennesseeans. 

Period V. extends from 1865, the close of the Civil War, 
to the present. The subject is The State since the Civil 



TO THE TEACHER 9 

War. The whole period is within the memory of all per- 
sons over fifty years of age. It is marked by great politi- 
cal turmoil, the adjustment of a whole people to a new 
order of living, and remarkable educational, commercial, 
and industrial development. 

The topics under the heading, "What have we learned?" 
are not intended to be exhaustive, but only suggestive. 
■No one can prescribe exact questions for the use of a 
competent teacher, and no effort has here been made to 
do so. Neither is any special *' method of instruction " 
recommended. A clear ideal of what is desired and a 
fixed purpose to work up to that ideal will usually suggest 
reasonably good methods in any school work. 



Period I. 1663- 1769 
INDIANS. EXPLORERS. AND ADVENTURERS 



CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTION 

To THE Girls and Boys of Tennessee: 

We cannot properly begin to study the history of Ten- 
nessee until we have taken a brief view of some parts of 
the history of America and of the United States, therefore 
I give you this introduction. 

The people who live in Tennessee, who have made it a 
civilized country, and who have made its history, are the 
children, grandchildren, etc., of people who came from 
Europe and settled in America. Before the days of 
Columbus the people of Europe knew nothing of Amer- 
ica. They had never heard of such a country. 

In 1492 Columbus sailed from Spain across the Atlantic 
Ocean and discovered some of the islands of the West 
Indies. He afterward discovered South America, but he 
never saw North America. No people except savages, 
that Columbus called Indians, then lived in America. 

For more than a hundred years after Columbus's discov- 
ery, people from Europe, especially from Spain, France, 
and England, were busy sailing along the coasts, paddling 
boats up and down the rivers and lakes, and tramping through 

II 



12 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

the woods and prairies of the new country. Each party of 
explorers claimed for their own nation all the lands they 
saw. 

Now look at the map of North America, and I will explain 
to you how some of these claims became so confused as to 




Landing of Columbus 

cause a great deal of trouble to the people who moved into 
the country, and a great deal of quarreling and fighting 
among the nations that made the claims. 

The Spaniards claimed that, as Columbus was in the 
service of Spain when he made his discoveries, the w^hole 
Western Continent should belong to them. As they made 
their first settlements along the Gulf of Mexico they claimed 
everything from the Gulf of Mexico northward to the Arctic 
Ocean, besides the lands which they actually occupied on 
the Gulf and to the south of it. 



INTRODUCTION 



13 



The English said that Columbus never saw North Amer- 
ica, but that it was first seen by John Cabot, in 1497, while 
he was in the English service. On Cabot's discovery the 
English claimed all the country from the Atlantic coast to 
the Pacific Ocean. 

The French claimed everything from the St. Lawrence 
River and the Great Lakes southward to the Gulf of Mexico, 
because Champlain, La 
Salle, and some other 
Frenchmen had been the 
first to explore the inte- 
rior of the country by 
way of the St. Lawrence, 
the Great Lakes, and the 
Mississippi River. 

Now look again at 
your map and you can 
plainly see that the three 
nations were claiming 
the same land, and that 
what is now the State of 
Tennessee is part of that 
very land. j„,,^^ 

None of the nations 
seemed to pay any attention to the rights of the Indians 
who lived over the whole country and were the real 
owners of the soil. The Indians of course did not like 
this, and while the English, French, and Spaniards quar- 
reled and fought over their claims to the new lands, 
the Indians, at one time or another, hated and fought 
them all. 

This will show you the real cause of some of the wars on 
Tennessee soil that must be mentioned in the early history 




^^^ 



14 



INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 



of the state, and will explain why Tennessee has been at 
different times occupied by French, Spanish, and English 
soldiers and traders. 

In 1660 Charles II. became King of England. His 
father had been executed about twenty years before, and 




he himself had been driven out of England. Until he was 
made king, he had lived as best he could in other countries 
of Europe by the aid of some faithful friends. He was a 
dissipated, frolicking, worthless sort of monarch, but he 
seems to have been grateful to the friends who were kind 



INTRODUCTION 1 5 

to him in his exile, and to some of those who had helped to 
make him king. To reward the Earl of Clarendon and 
a few others of these friends he gave them, in 1663, all 
that part of North America lying between 31 degrees 
and 36 degrees of north latitude, extending from the At- 
lantic to the Pacific Ocean, and called this grant Caro- 
lina. The "Clarendon Grant" was enlarged, in 1665, by- 
half a degree on the north, and by two degrees on the 
south. 

After white people had come from Europe and Virginia 
to live in the country, this grant was divided into North 
Carolina and South Carolina and the boundary lines were 
considerably changed. The Mississippi River was made 
the western boundary line, and the parallel of 36 1- degrees 
the northern boundary line of North Carolina. The other 
boundaries were fixed somewhat as you now see them on 
your maps, except that there was no dividing line between 
North Carolina and Tennessee. There was no Tennessee 
in name. North Carolina extended from the Atlantic 
Ocean to the Mississippi River, and what is now Ten- 
nessee was then the western half of North Carolina. 
Thus you see that the early history of our state is the 
history of a part of North Carolina. 

Be sure that you have the map well in mind before you 
try to go farther in this book. A good history of the 
United States and one of England will explain to you fully 
some things that are very briefly mentioned in this and in 
other chapters. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Date of the discovery of America by Europeans. 

2. From what country Columbus sailed and what part of America he 

discovered. 

3. The first hundred years after Columbus's discovery. 



INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

4. Claims of the Spanish, of the English, of the French. 

5. How the Indians' rights were treated. 

6. Result of the conflicting claims. 

7. How these disputes have affected Tennessee. 

8. Sketch of Charles II. of England. 

9. Grant of American land to his friends. 

10. Division of this grant and change of boundaries. 

11. Tennessee about the year 1700. Give present boundaries. 

12. Other sources of information needed. 



CHAPTER II 

INDIANS 

As our ancestors saw them, the Indians were tall, straight^ 
well-formed people, and were active, hardy, and strong. 




Indians at Home 

They had brownish red skins, some of them being much 
darker than others. They had black eyes, and coarse, 
straight, black hair; and the men had no beard. They 
very rarely had handsome faces or even pleasant-looking 

17 



1 8 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

ones. They had some noble traits of character, and some 
of their chiefs were great and wise men for savages ; but 
usually they were ferocious and untamable. 

They were brave and cunning, cruel and revengeful, 
very fond of gay colors and trinkets, very lazy and dirty, 
and were great Hars and rogues. Indeed, they did not seem 
to think that there was much wrong in lying, stealing, and 
murder. They were ignorant savages, and many of the 
white men who first came among them to trade taught 
them to gamble and to love strong drink. The evil things 
they learned from the white traders, added to the vices 
they already had, made the Indians a very bad people. 

They had no houses but a sort of huts called wigwams. 
They lived, as most savages do, chiefly by hunting and 
fishing, though some of them had patches of corn and 
beans and pumpkins. The women did nearly all of the 
work, while the men hunted, fought, and lounged about 
the camp. They traded the skins and furs of the wild 
animals they killed for earrings and beads, knives and 
hatchets, red paint and bright-colored cloth, and such other 
things as they fancied. 

The people of Europe in the seventeenth century did 
not know how to make such soft, warm woolen goods as 
they do to-day, so furs were more valuable then than now. 

This made the EngHsh, French, and Spanish traders 
very active in the fur trade and each very anxious to get it 
all. Each nation tried to make the Indians hate the other 
two and not trade with them. This caused a great deal of 
trouble. There was another set of traders who wanted 
the Indians' land, and they caused more trouble. Nearly 
all of them cheated and wronged the Indians shamefully, 
and the Indians in turn killed many settlers and burned 
their houses, and roasted the women and children in the 



INDIANS 



19 



fire, and in many other ways treated the white people 
shamefully. So much for cheating and wrongdoing in 
general. 

The Indians of North America were not all exactly 
alike in appearance and habits of life, nor did they all 
speak the same language. Those who lived in the same 
region and spoke the same language were called a tribe : 




Indian Massacre 



as, the tribe of Cherokees, the tribe of Chickasaws, etc. 
Each tribe was governed by its chiefs or head men, and 
different tribes were very often at war with each other. 
Indeed, hunting and fighting seemed to be about the whole 
business of an Indian's life. 

When white people first settled on Tennessee soil, the 
Cherokee Indians lived in the mountains and valleys of 
what is now East Tennessee, and in the adjoining parts 
of North and South Carolina and Georgia. They had 



20 



INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 



cattle and horses, and raised considerable crops of corn. 
They were rich Indians. The Chickamaugas lived along 
the little river or creek that now bears their name, and 
in the mountains about where Chattanooga now stands. 
These Chickamaugas were kinsmen of the Cherokees, 
though they lived as a separate tribe. 

The Creeks lived along the Tennessee River, in what 
is now North Alabama, and perhaps in a little of the 
southern part of Middle Tennessee. 




VlKOINT\ 



The Chickasaws lived in North Mississippi and on the 
high hills or bluffs along the Mississippi River in West 
Tennessee, where Memphis and Randolph now stand. 
The Choctaws lived in Mississippi, south of the Chicka- 
saws, and sometimes came into Tennessee. There were 
very few if any other Indians in what is now Tennessee, 
besides those we have named. 

Now carefully locate each tribe on the map, and you 
will see that no Indians lived in Middle Tennessee except 
along the extreme southern border, and none in West 
Tennessee except along the Mississippi River. 

The Chickasaws claimed all of West Tennessee as their 



INDIANS 



21 



hunting ground, and there seems to have been no serious 
dispute with other tribes about this claim. While they 
did not live all over that part of Tennessee lying between 
the Tennessee and the Mississippi rivers, they owned the 
country, and hunted over it, and sometimes crossed over 
into Middle Tennessee. 

The Indians said that the Shawnees once lived along 
the Cumberland River in Middle Tennessee, but were 
driven out by the Cherokees, 
Creeks, and Chickasaws. The 



e^* 



-^//^^ 








Buffalo " 






Uchees once lived 
in the country around 
Nashville, but the tribe 
was killed out by the Cher- 
okees. Other tribes may have 
lived in Middle Tennessee in the long-gone years, but none 
lived there when the white man first came west of the Alle- 
ghany Mountains. 

At that time all of the country bounded by the Cum- 
berland Mountains, the Tennessee River, and the Ohio 
River was a vast hunting ground claimed by the Chero- 
kees, the Chickamaugas, the Creeks, the Chickasaws, the 
Shawnees of Indiana, and the Iroquois of New York. 

A part of this region was Middle Tennessee, and none 
of the Indian tribes dared live there for fear of the attacks 
of all the others who claimed the country as their hunting 

TENN. HIST. — 2 



22 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

ground. So many and so fierce had been the battles in 
this region that the part of it which lies between the Cum- 
berland and the Ohio rivers was called " The Dark and 
Bloody Ground," or, in the Indian tongue, " Kentucky." 

As no one lived in all of this beautiful country, and only 
occasional parties of Indian hunters passed through it, the 
wild animals had it almost to themselves. Deer, " buffalo," 
bears, ** elk," swans, geese, ducks, turkeys, and many other 
kinds of wild game were abundant. This made it a fine 
place for hunters, and when the white hunters heard of it, 
some of them ventured into the dangerous and disputed 
game preserves, as you shall read in another chapter. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ? 

1 . Personal appearance of the Indians. 

2. Their tastes and dispositions. 

3. Their homes and manner pf living. 

4. Value of the fur trade in the seventeenth century. 

5. On what day did the seventeenth century begin ? On what day 

did it end ? 

6. Rivalry of the English, French, and Spaniards. 

7. Conduct of the traders and of the Indians. 

8. An Indian tribe. 

9. Tribes living in Tennessee, and home of each. 

10. Tribes claiming Middle Tennessee; West Tennessee. 

11. "The Dark and Bloody Ground." 

12. '♦ A Game Preserve." 

13. Wild animals in Tennessee. 

14. The white hunters. 



CHAPTER III 

EXPLORERS 

Very soon after the discovery of America the Spaniards 
began to explore the country around the Gulf of Mexico 




De Soto discovers the Mississippi 

and to make settlements there. You must remember that 
the Spaniards claimed all the land in North America. 

In 1539 a Spanish general named De Soto landed in 
Florida with a party of soldiers and began to march 
through the country northward and westward to see what 
he could find. He found very little of anything except 
woods and swamps and Indians and graves for many of 
his men. For five years he wandered over what is now 

23 



24 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and perhaps Ten- 
nessee, crossing the Mississippi River into Arkansas about 
where the city of Memphis now stands. 

In 1542 De Soto died in Arkansas or Louisiana and 
was buried in the Mississippi River, which he had dis- 
covered in 1 54 1. This was the only important discovery 
he made in all his wanderings. He is mentioned here 
because he and his party were probably the first white 
men that ever saw Tennessee. We do not know this, but 
think it is probably true. 

In 1607 the English made their first permanent Ameri- 
can settlement, at Jamestown, in Virginia, and for more 
than a hundred years they were busy making settlements 
along the Atlantic coast. Remember that they claimed 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. 

In 1605 the French, who claimed all from the St. 
Lawrence and the Great Lakes southward, made their 
first settlement at Port Royal, Nova Scotia; and in 1608 
a Frenchman named Champlain founded Quebec in 
Canada. In 168 1 another Frenchman, named La Salle, 
went west from Quebec to Lake Michigan and thence to 
the Mississippi River. He floated down this river to its 
mouth, and named the whole Mississippi Valley Louisiana, 
in honor of King Louis XIV. of France. In 1682 he 
went back up the river, stopped at the present site of 
Memphis or near it, built a fort called " Prudhomme," and 
left some French soldiers to hold it until he should go to 
France and return. Th*^. is the first that we know of the 
French in Tennessee. They afterward built another fort 
in Tennessee at a place called French Lick on the Cum- 
berland River, at or very near the site of Nashville. 

This was one of an irregular line of forts extending 
from Quebec to the mouth of the Mississippi River. With 



EXPLORERS 



25 



soldiers in all this line of forts the French intended to 
keep the English on the east side of the Alleghany Moun- 
tains. But the English would not stay there. They 
wanted the game and the furs and the rich land on the 
west side, and said they meant to have them whether the 
French were willing or not 




La Salle on the Mississippi 



Much of the time from 1690 to 1763 the English and 
French were fighting desperately, in what are called the 
" Intercolonial Wars," to drive each other out of North 
America. The Spaniards took part in some of the wars, 
and most of the Indians helped the French. 

The result of these wars was that the French were 
driven out of North America. The English then held 
Canada and all of the country east of the Mississippi 
River (except New Orleans) ; but they gave Florida back 
to Spain, its previous owner, in 1783. The Spanish had 



26 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

Florida and New Orleans and all the land west of the 
Mississippi. 

Florida at that time extended from the Atlantic Ocean 
to the Mississippi River; but after all the fighting and 
surrendering and treaty making, the northern boundary of 
Florida had never been fixed to the satisfaction of all 
parties. Years afterward the Spanish governor general 
at New Orleans thought he might be able to hold for his 
royal master, the King of Spain, all the territory explored 
by De Soto. So he went up the Mississippi to the mouth 
of Wolf River and built Fort Barancas, on the site of 
Memphis, and claimed all south from there as Spanish 
territory. Tennessee, or a part of it, was then claimed 
by the Spaniards on account of Columbus's discovery, 
De Soto's exploration, and the Fort Barancas occupation. 
We shall learn more about the Spanish claims further on. 

All of the forts that have been mentioned were mihtary 
trading posts where French, Spanish, and a few English 
fur traders dealt with the Indians or kept goods for that 
purpose. As these traders were always wandering over 
the country from one fort to another, or from the forts to 
the Indian towns, they were among the very first white 
people to explore the land we now call Tennessee. 

During the period of French and Spanish exploration 
the English colonists east of the mountains had not been 
idle. In 1748 Dr. Thomas Walker and a party of hunters 
came from Virginia into Powells Valley in East Tennessee, 
crossed the mountain at Cumberland Gap, and hunted 
along the Cumberland River. The mountains, the gap, 
and the river were probably named by this party in honor 
of the Duke of Cumberland, the prime minister of Eng- 
land. After them came hunters and trappers from North 
Carolina and South Carolina as well as Virginia, and some 



EXPLORERS 



27 



of these gave names to Walden Ridge, Powells Valley, 
and many other places in East Tennessee. 

In 1756 or 1757 the EngUsh built Fort Loudon on the 
Tennessee River, about thirty miles from the present city 
of Knoxville, to keep the Cherokee Indians peaceable. 
The French were trying to get them to make war on the 
English settlers in North Carolina. Fort Loudon is the 
place where English people first lived in Tennessee. But 
it was not really a home ; it was only a fort in which 
soldiers and traders, 
with possibly a few 
of their families, 
lived for a short 
time. It was taken 
and destroyed by 
the Indians three or 
four years after it 
was built. 

Although the In- 
dians destroyed the 
fort and killed the 
people there, we 
know that white 
men still ventured 
into Tennessee, for 
on the bark of a 
beech tree in the valley of Boons Creek, has been found 
the following inscription : — 

'' D. Boon CillED A BAR On Tree in ThE yEAR 1760." 

Daniel Boone and other hunters were in Tennessee 
about this time, and this inscription is very probably the 
work of Boone or some of his friends. 




Daniel Boone 



28 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

After the treaty of peace was made between England 
and France in 1763, many hunters and explorers besides 
Boone and his companions poured over the mountains 
from Virginia and North Carolina and South Carolina, 
though the country was still dangerous for white men. 

On their return home, these hunters told such fine 
stories of the beautiful rich country they had seen, that 
many people in Virginia and the Carolinas were anxious 
to move west of the mountains, buy good land for very 
little money, or take it from the Indians for nothing, and 
establish pioneer homes in Tennessee. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ? 

1. Spanish claims in North America. 

2. De Soto and his wanderings. 

3. His important discovery. Date. 

4. His connection with Tennessee history. 

5. English claims in North America. 

6. English settlements. Date of first. 

7. French claims in North America. 

8. French settlements. 

9. La Salle and Louisiana. 

10. Fort Pmdhomme. Date. 

11. French Lick. 

12. Line of forts — their purpose. 

13. The Intercolonial Wars and the Indians. 

14. The three nations after lyST,.* 

15. Limits of Florida in 1783. 

16. Fort Barancas. Spanish claims. 

17. First explorers of Tennessee. 

18. Explorers from the English colonies. 

19. Fort Loudon. Date. Its character. 

20. Daniel Boone. 

21. Effect of the treaty of 1763. 

22. Effect of the hunters' reports. 



CHAPTER IV 

ADVENTURERS 

When the English destroyed the French power in 
America there were no states here as there are now, but 
what are now the states of New Hampshire, Massachu- 
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Caro- 
lina, South Carolina, and Georgia were then thirteen English 
colonies. From Virginia southward each of them extended 
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. 

The King of England appointed the governors in some 
of the colonies, and in some of them the governors were 
elected according to the provisions of a charter granted 
by the king. But all of the governors and all of the peo- 
ple were subjects of the King of England. 

When England and France made their treaty of peace, 
in 1763, nothing was said about the Indians' right to the 
land west of the Alleghanies, which the French had been 
forced to give up to the English. While the Intercolonial 
Wars were going on, the French told the Indians that if 
the EngHsh were successful they would take all of the 
Indians' land from them. This made most of the Indians 
help the French, 

The English were victorious, and after peace was made 
the Indians were very much alarmed when they heard of 
the hunters and explorers, mentioned in Chapter HI., com- 
ing from the English colonies into their hunting grounds. 

29 



30 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

They believed the EngHsh were about to do what the 
French had said they would do. This was one of the 
chief causes of a general Indian attack upon the English 
colonies, called in the history of the United States ** Pon- 
tiac's War." The Indians were badly defeated in battle, 
Pontiac was murdered by another Indian, and the war soon 
came to an end. 

King George III. of England did not wish his colonies 
m America to be disturbed by any more Indian wars ; so 
he ordered the governors of the colonies not to allow any 
of his subjects in America to trespass on the Indian lands 
west of the Alleghany Mountains. But the governors 
either would not or could not keep them from it. The 
king then made treaties with the Indians and appointed a 
set of officers called Indian Commissioners, who were to 
go among the Indians, be friendly with them, hear their 
complaints against white men who had wronged them, see 
that the Indians had justice done them, and keep them 
loyal to the king and government of Great Britain as 
agreed in the treaties. 

The king also issued an order that no one should settle 
upon land belonging to the Indians, and that no one except 
his agents should buy land from the Indians west of the 
Alleghany Mountains. This order also provided that if 
any white man did buy land from Indians and the Indians 
moved away and gave it up to him, the white man should 
not have a title to it, but it should become public land 
belonging to the government of the king. 

This order seemed to make the Indian reasonably safe 
in the possession of his land ; but the people in the colo- 
nies paid little attention to the king's order. They said 
the Indians were very bad neighbors, that they had helped 
the French in the French and Indian War, that in 



ADVENTURERS 



31 



Pontiac's War they had tried to kill all the English, 
that they were heathens and lazy barbarians who would 
not work the land, and besides, that they had three or four 
times as much as they needed if they would work it. 

Thus, with one argument and another, some colonists 
convinced themselves that they ought to cross the Alle- 
ghanies and settle on the Indians' land, or at least see 
where they would like to settle, in spite of the king and 
his governors and Indian Commissioners ^j 
and all the redskins in North - '-^^ 

America. So over the 
mountains the adven- 
turers came, and 
roved through 
the Indians' 
hunting grounds, 
killing his deer 
and buffalo, and 
occasionally an In- 
dian himself; and some- 
times the Indians killed 
them. ' ' 

Parties of hunters came into the 
new regions and lived very much as 
the Indians did, roaming about and 
hunting for a year or more before returning home. These 
were called "long hunters." Land companies sometimes 
employed these " long hunters " as guides for their sur- 
veying parties which were laying out the land intended 
for settlement or for sale to speculators. 

Officers and soldiers who had fought in the French and 
Indian War were sometimes paid in land warrants. A 
land warrant is a written or printed paper, signed by the 










^^^yii? 



-\ 



A Long Hunter 



32 INDIANS, EXPLORERS, AND ADVENTURERS 

proper officers, and giving to the person to whom it is 
issued the right to take and keep as his own property a 
certain number of acres of the pubhc land belonging to 
the state or nation that issues the warrant. North Caro- 
lina had issued some of these warrants, and the soldiers 
who had received them wanted land in that part of North 
Carolina which is now Tennessee. 

Poor men with large families wished to improve their 
fortunes by going west, where they could get good land 
to give their children when they grew to be men and 
women. 

Rowdies and rogues and rascals of many kinds, who in 
the older settled parts of the colonies were in great dan- 
ger of being sent to jail or the whipping post, thought that 
the wild woods west of the mountains would be a good 
place for them to hide from the officers of the law. 

Besides all these there were no doubt many people of 
restless, daring spirit who wished to go west solely for the 
sake of adventure and to see something new. 

We do not positively know that any of these people 
actually built houses and made themselves homes in Ten- 
nessee before the year 1769. But we do know that for 
six or more years before that date they were coming and 
going across the mountains. 

In 1767 the Iroquois complained that the white people 
were taking their land and killing or driving away their 
game. The Indian Commissioner for the northern tribes 
then called a great Indian council at Fort Stanwix — near 
the site of Rome, New York, and bought from the Iro- 
quois and other northern tribes their title to all the lands 
between the Ohio and Tennessee rivers. The Commis- 
sioner for the southern tribes called a council at Hard 
Labor, South Carolina, and bought the title to the same 



ADVENTURERS 33 

land, except a few reservations, from the Cherokees. The 
Cherokees had chiefs in both councils. 

These treaties were finished in December, 1768. Early 
in 1769 we find William Bean living in his log cabin on 
Boons Creek, near where it empties into the Watauga 
River. 

Before this time we have seen French, Spanish, and 
English soldiers, traders, hunters, and explorers wander- 
ing over the country and living at military posts in the 
vast wilderness ; now we see a family and a home of Eng- 
lish-speaking people established in Tennessee, and here 
the real history of the state begins. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Difference between a colony and a state. 

2. The thirteen English colonies, in the order given. 

3. Extent of the four southern colonies. 

4. Colonial governors. Charters. 

5. Why the Indians helped the French in war. 

6. Cause of Pontiac's War. 

7. Order of King George III. to colonial goveraors. 

8. Indian Commissioners. 

9. Orders of the king concerning Indian lands. 

10. How the colonists treated the king's orders. 

11. Land companies. 

12. " Long hunters." 

13. Owners of land warrants. 

14. Other adventurers. 

15. Treaty of Fort Stanwix. 

16. Treaty of Hard Labor. 

17. First real home of white people in Tennessee, Date 



Period 1 1. 1769- 1796 

SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF 
THE STATE 



CHAPTER V 

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 

Let us leave Captain William Bean in his Watauga 
home while we learn a chapter of United States history. 
We must learn this well in order that we may understand 
the condition of affairs in the ''Thirteen Colonies" men- 
tioned in Chapter IV., and how this affected the settlement 
in Tennessee. Remember that all of these colonies were 
under the government of the King of England. 

The laws of England are made by a body of men called 
the *' Parliament." Part of the members are appointed or 
born to the office and compose the House of Lords ; part 
are elected by the people of Great Britain, and these 
elected members compose the House of Commons. 

The American colonists had forms of government that 
resembled the government of their old home in England. 
Each colony had a governor, who in general was the king's 
representative, and a colonial legislature or general assem- 
bly, instead of a parhament. Part of the members of this 
legislature were appointed by the royal governor and were 
called the council ; and part were elected by the people of 
the colony and were called the assembly. 

It is one of the rights of every freeborn Englishman 

34 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 35 

that he must not be taxed except by the parliament in 
which he has representatives. The American colonists 
claimed all the rights of Englishmen and said that they 
should not be taxed except by the colonial legislatures in 
which they had representatives. The colonists claimed 
that the people in England and in America had the same 
king, but not the same legislative body. 

Before the French and English began the " Intercolonial 
Wars " the English Parliament had never tried to lay taxes 
on the Americans or make any local laws for them. The 
king, and the governors he appointed, and the colonial 
legislatures did all the governing in the colonies. 

These wars had been very expensive, and at their close 
England was in great need of money. The Parliament 
thought the American colonies would be a good place to 
get some of the money they needed, and they said the 
wars had been partly for the Americans' benefit, so they 
began to pass laws laying taxes on the Americans. 

The Americans said they had no representatives in the 
British Parliament, and that, therefore, the Parhament had 
no right to tax them ; and that they would not pay a penny 
of the taxes. The Parliament said they did have the right, 
and they meant to use it, as the money was to be raised 
only for colonial expenses, and that the Americans should 
pay the taxes. 

The Americans then petitioned the king to keep the 
Parliament from taxing them, but the king took sides with 
the Parliament, and the royal governors of course followed 
the king's example, and most of the minor officers in the 
colonies followed the governors. The king, the Parlia- 
ment, the royal officials, and a few other people were on 
one side of the dispute ; the colonial assemblies and most 
of the American people on the other. 



36 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



The Parliament also passed laws to make the Americans 
ship their goods in certain vessels, and to prevent them 
from manufacturing certain articles, and in many ways 
seemed to treat them as if they were not as good as the 
people in England. 

The Americans resented all of these things and said 
they were loyal subjects of the king and entitled to all the 
rights of freeborn Englishmen, and that they intended to 
have these rights if they had to fight for them. 

Each year from 1765 to 1775 the quarrel grew worse, 
and finally the king sent an army to force the Americans 
to obey. Instead of obeying they deter- 
mined to fight the king's soldiers, and 
organized bodies of men to do this, call- 
ing them Sons of Liberty or Minutemen 
or Regulators. 

In 1 775 the fighting began, and it con- 
tinued nearly eight years. This war is 
called the American Revolutionary War. 
Those in America who took the side of 
the king and Parliament were called 
"Tories." Those who favored the Amer- 
ican cause were called *' Whigs." 

As Tennessee was a part of North 
Carolina, and as more of the first set- 
tlers of Tennessee came from the eastern part of North 
Carolina than from any other colony, we are interested 
most in what happened there in the Revolutionary days. 

People in this country now think that any one who is 
honest, industrious, and moral, who obeys the laws of his 
country and observes the rules of good manners, is entitled 
to respect for his personal worth. Our ancestors in North 
Carolina and in other colonies did not think exactly as we 




Minuteman 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 37 

do on this subject. They came mostly from England, 
where people were divided into classes or grades of soci- 
ety and were respected very much according to the class 
to which they belonged. Living in America had modified 
these English notions, but they still existed. Many people 
left the older colonies and came to Tennessee to be rid 
of these class distinctions. They wished to be free men 
respected for their own worth. 

The class idea made the royal governors and tax col- 
lectors and other officers of the king think it a great show 
of rudeness that the American common people should be 
claiming rights, and talking about liberties, and refusing 
to obey the British Parliament. Many of the officials said 
that these common people ought all to be killed for their 
impudence, and robbed them and abused them until the 
people thought that most of the king's officers ought to be 
killed for their meanness. When people get into such a 
temper as this it takes but little to start them fighting. 

In North Carolina the royal officials were among the 
most tyrannical and rascally in America, and Governor 
Tryon and all of the petty scamps who held office under 
him became so insolent and overbearing that the people 
organized parties of men called Regulators to resist the 
oppression of these officials. 

In May, 1771, Governor Tryon, with a party of the 
king's soldiers, fought a battle with a band of regulators 
at Alamance Creek, about forty miles northwest of Raleigh. 
The regulators were defeated, many of them were killed, 
a few were captured and hanged, and many of those who 
escaped crossed the mountains into Tennessee. 

This battle made the people more angry than ever. 
They wished to be loyal s'ubjects of King George III. of 
England, but if his officers were to treat them wrongly and 

TENN, HIST. — ^ 



38 



SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



then kill them because they resisted, they began to think 
it would be better to have no king at all. As matters 
grew worse and the country more disturbed each year, 
many more of the liberty-loving people fled to Tennessee. 
In April, 1775, the colonial legislature of North Caro- 
lina met at Newbern. The royal governor knew, from 
the speeches of John Ashe and some others, that the 
members of the assembly were not friendly to him or the 
king's cause ; so he ordered the legislature to adjourn and 




Battle of Alamance 



the members to go about their own business and said he 
would attend to the king's business without any of their 
help. 

This was the last royal legislature that ever met in North 
Carolina. As soon as the assembly adjourned, the same 
members reassembled without the governor's leave, de- 
clared themselves representatives elected by the people 
to secure the rights of free men, and said they meant to 
attend to that business without any of the governor's help. 
While they were in session the battle of Lexington was 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 



39 



fought, in Massachusetts, and the Revolutionary War had 
begun. 

May 19, 1775, the Mecklenburg County Convention met 
at Charlotte, elected Abraham Alexander chairman and 
John Alexander secretary, and the next day adopted the 
famous " Mecklenburg Resolutions." These consti- 




Mecklenburg Convention 



tuted the first ** Declaration of Independence " in America, 
being more than a year older than the declaration adopted 
by the Continental Congress at Philadelphia July 4, 1776. 
In their most important parts the two documents are very 
much alike. 

While the strife between Great Britain and the colonies 
was going on, many people, not only from North Carolina 
but also from Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and 



40 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

other places moved into the wilds of Tennessee, where there 
were no king's officers and petty tyrants to trouble them. 
Now keep in mind the following facts : — 

1. The dispute between Great Britain and her colonies 
in America began in 1765 about the rights of freemen and 
brought on the Revolutionary War, which ended 1783. 
The settlement of Tennessee began within these years, — 
in 1769. 

2. Many people in the older colonies, disgusted with 
class distinctions brought over from Europe, moved into 
Tennessee, where no such notions existed. 

3. The people of North Carolina were among the first 
and most active to resist British tyranny, and fought the 
first battle against British authority at the Alamance in 
May, 1 77 1. Immediately after this battle many of the 
defeated regulators moved into Tennessee. 

4. Our North Carolina ancestors, in the famous " Meck- 
lenburg Resolutions," published the first Declaration of 
American Independence, May 20, 1775. The historian, 
Bancroft, says of these people : " Any government but one 
of their own institution was oppressive to them. North Car- 
olina was settled by the freest of the free." These w^ere 
the patriots that made their homes beyond the mountains, 
along the Holston, the Watauga, and the Nollichucky. 

This chapter is intended not only to show you the con- 
nection between the Revolutionary struggle and the early 
settlement of our state, but also to give you some idea of 
the bold, liberty-loving, independent people who founded 
the early homes in Tennessee. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. The thirteen colonies. 

2. British Parliament. Lords and Commons. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 4 1 

3. Colonial legislatures. 

4. Rights of Englishmen. 

5. Rights of American colonists. 

6. Connection in government between England and America. 

7. Laws before the Intercolonial Wars. After. 

8. American view of parliamentary tax. British view. 

9. Petition of the Americans to the king. Result. 

10. Impositions in addition to taxes. 

11. War begins. Date. 

12. " Whigs ^' and " Tories." 

13. Why we are interested in North Carolina. 
44. Real respectability. Classes of society. 

15. Effect in North Carolina of class distinctions. 

16. Effect on settlement of Tennessee. 

17. The Regulators. 

18. Battle of the Alamance. Effect on Tennessee. 

19. Effect on the people of North Carolina. 

20. Last " royal legislature " in North Carolina. 

21. Battle of Lexington. 

22. Mecklenburg Convention. Date. Declaration of Independence. 

23. Effect on Tennessee of the Revolutionary struggle. 

24. The four facts to be remembered. 




Name 

Anderson 

Bledsoe 

Blount 

Bradley 

Campbell 

Carter 

Claiborne 

Cocke 

Grainger 

Greene 

Hamblen 

Hamilton 

Hancock 

Hawkins 

James 

Jefferson 

Johnson 



When 
formed 
1801 
1807 
1795 
1835 
1806 
1796 
1 801 
1797 
1796 

1783 
1870 
■ 1819 
1844 
1786 
187I 
1792 
1835 



Bedford 

Cannon . 

Cheatham 

Clay 

Coffee 

Cumberland 

Davidson 



County Seat 



17.717 
6,329 
20,809 



COUNTIES OF 

Pop., 
I9I0 

Clinton 

Pikeville 

Maryvilie 
16,336 Cleveland 
27,387 jacksboro 
19,838 Elizabethton 
23,504 Tazewell 
19,399 Newport 
13,888 Rutledge 
31,083 Greeneville 
13,650 Morristown 
89,267 Chattanooga 
10,778 Sneedville 
23,587 Rogersville 
5,210 Ooltewah 
17,755 Dandridge 
13,191 Mountain City 



EAST TENNESSEE 
When 



Name 



formed 



Knox 


1792 


Loudon 


1870 


Marion 


1817 


McMinn 


1819 


Meigs 


183s 


Monroe 


1819 


Morgan 


1817 


Polk 


1B3Q 


Rhea 


1807 


Roane 


1801 


Scott 


1849 


Sequatchie 


1857 


Sevier 


1794 


Sullivan 


1779 


Unicoi 


187s 


Union 


1850 


Washington 


1777 



Pop. 
I9I0 

94.187 

13,612 
18,820 
21,046 
6,131 
20,716 

11,458 

14,116 

IS.4I0 

22,860 

12,947 
4,202 
22,296 
28,120 
7,201 
11,414 
28,968 



COUNTIES OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE 



180/ 22,667 

1835 10,825 

1856 10,540 

1870 9,009 

1835 15,625 

1855 9.327 

1783 149.478 



Shelbyville 

Woodbury 

Ashland City 

Celina 

Manchester 

Crossville 

Nashville 



DeKalb 

Dickson 

Fentress 

Franklin 

Giles 

Grundv 



1837 15.434 



1803 
1823 
1807 



19.955 

7.446 

20,491 



1809 32,629 
1844 8,322 



Hickman 1807 16,527 



County Seat 

Knoxville 

Loudon 

Jasper 

Athens 

Decatur 

Madisonville 

Wartburg 

Benton 

Dayton 

Kingston 

Huntsville 

Dunlap 

Sevierville 

Blountville 

Erwin 

Maynardville 

Jonesboro 



Smith villa 

Charlotte 

Jamestown 

Winchester 

Pulaski 

Altamont 

Centerville 



42 




Name 


When 

formed 


i9°io County Seat 


Name 


When 
formed 


l7o' County Seat 


Houston 


1871 


6,224 Erin 


Putnam 


1842 


20,023 Cookeville 


Humphreys 


1809 


13,908 Waverly 


Robertson 


1796 


25,466 Springfield 


Jackson 
Lawrence 


180I 


15. 036 Gainesboro 


Rutherford 


1803 


33,199 ^lurfreesboro 


1817 


17,569 Lawrenceburg 


Smith 


1799 


18,548 Carthage 


Lewis 


1843 


6,033 Hohenwald 


Stewart 


1803 


14,860 Dover 


Lincoln 


1809 


25,908 Fayetteville 


Sumner 


1786 


25,621 Gallatin 


Macon 


1842 


14.559 Lafayette 


Trousdale 


1870 


5,874 Hartsville 


Marshall 


1S35 


16,872 Lewisburg 


Van Buren 


1840 


2,784 Spencer 


Maury- 


1807 


40,456 Columbia 


Warren 


1807 


16,534 AIcMinnville 


Montgomery 


1796 


33.672 Clarksville 


Wayne 


1817 


12,062 Waynesboro 


Moore 


1872 


4,800 Lynchburg 


White 


1806 


15,420 Sparta 


Overton 


1806 


15,854 Livingston 


Williamson 


1799 


24,213 Franklin 


Perrv 


1819 


8,815 Linden 


Wilson 


1799 


25,394 Lebanon 


Pickett 


1879 


5,087 Byrdstown 












COUNTIES OF \^ 


^EST TENNESSEE 




Benton 


1835 


12,452 Camden 


Henderson 


1821 


17.030 Lexington 


Carroll 


1821 


23,971 Huntingdon 


Henry 


1821 


25.434 Paris 


Chester 


1879 


9,090 Henderson 


Lake 


1870 


8,704 Tiptonville 


Crockett 


1870 


16,076 Alamo 


Lauderdale 


1835 


21,105 Ripley 


Decatur 


1845 


10,093 Decaturville 


Madison 


1821 


39.357 Jackson 


Dyer 


1823 


27,721 Dyersburg 


McXairy 


1823 


16,356 Selmer 


Fayette 


1824 


30,257 Somerville 


Obion 


1823 


29,946 Union City 


Gibson 


1823 


41,630 Trenton 


Shelby 


1819 


191.439 Memphis 


Hardeman 


1823 


23, II Bolivar 


Tipton 


1823 


29.459 Covington 


Hardin 


1819 


17,521 Savannah 


Weakley 


1823 


31,929 Dresden 


Haywood 


1823 


25,910 Brownsville | 









4.^ 



CHAPTER VI 

THE PIONEERS 

When an army moves from one place to another it can- 
not always travel along public roads, but sometimes must 
make its own roads. The soldiers who go in front to cut 
trees, clear roads, and do other necessary work are called 
"pioneers." The pioneers are those who lead the march 
and prepare the way for the army to come after them. 

The people who come first into a new country, build the 
first houses, raise the first crops, etc., are called the pio- 
neers of that country, because they go before the others 
and prepare the country for civilized life. 

Virginia was next to North Carolina in the number of 
pioneers she sent into Tennessee. William Bean, of Vir- 
ginia, made the first settlement on Watauga River in 1 769, 
and his son Russell Bean, was the first white child known 
to have been born in Tennessee. Very soon Bean had 
neighbors around him, and this section was called '* The 
Watauga Settlement." 

About the year 1771 Parker and Carter, washing to 
trade with the Indians, set up a store near the present 
town of Rogersville. People from near Abingdon, Vir- 
ginia, which was then called Wolfs Hill, and some others 
soon settled about this store. This community was called 
"The Carters Valley Settlement." 

About the year 1772 Jacob Brown opened a store foi 
Indian trade on the Nollichucky River. Pioneers sood 

44 



THE PIONEERS 45 

gathered around this store, and the settlement was called 
Brown's Store, or *' The Nollichucky Settlement." 

Now find Holston River on your map ; fix in mind its 
location, and the direction it runs in Tennessee. Then 
locate Watauga River, Nollichucky River, and Rogers- 
ville, and you will kncA^ just about where the first three 
groups of pioneer cabins stood in Tennessee. 

The first settlers were not troubled by Indians for sev- 
eral years. The Cherokees were the only tribe very 
near them, and they had enough of fighting just then. 
These Cherokees were fond of war, — in fact, said they 
could not live without it. A little while before Bean set- 
tled on the Watauga the Cherokees decided, as they had 
no neighbors worth fighting, that they would go over and 
fight the Chickasaws. The Chickasaws beat them terribly 
in battle, plundered their camps, killed numbers of their 
warriors, and chased the remainder of them back home. 
After this sore defeat they were not in condition to pro- 
voke a war with the white men, and therefore left the 
settlers in peace for several years. 

The first settlers of Tennessee thought they were in 
Virginia, but when the boundary line between Virginia 
and North Carolina was established west of the mountains, 
they found themselves in that part of North Carolina which 
had been reserved by treaty for the Cherokee Indians. 

As soon as the settlers learned this they secured from 
the Indians a ten years' lease of the lands they claimed. 
Afterward they bought the land from the Indians, giving 
what the red men thought was a big price, and what the 
white men knew was a very small one. At that time a 
tract of land about as large as the present county of Wash- 
ington or Rutherford or Gibson could be bought for about 
ten or fifteen dollars. 



46 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

One of the greatest troubles about the sales and treaties 
of these early days was that neither white men nor Indians 
honestly observed boundary lines. The Indians were a 
sort of grown-up children, who knew very little about 
moral law or duty, and the wisest and best chiefs among 
them could not keep their young men from trespassing on 
the land they had sold to the white people. Some of the 
white men were more greedy than ignorant, and would 
not do what they knew to be right in keeping off the 
Indians' land. This was one cause of Indian wars. 

The pioneers were a hardy, resolute, fearless class of 
people. They had come into a wilderness to make homes, 
to better their fortunes, and to enjoy the liberty they did 
not have in the older colonies. They expected to face 
dangers and endure hardships, and they did both with 
the courage and fortitude that belong to the Anglo-Saxon 
race. 

Let us see if we can picture to ourselves how these pio- 
neers looked, how they lived, what they did. 

Most of them wore moccasins instead of shoes. The 
men and boys wore short pantaloons and leather leggings 
reaching from the foot to above the knee. They had no 
coats, but wore hunting shirts. These were sometimes of 
heavy cloth, but usually of dressed deerskin, and were worn 
over the other clothing just as we wear coats. They were 
cut and made very much Hke an ordinary shirt, except that 
they were open the entire length of the front, and had a 
belt at the waist. In this belt the pioneer carried a small 
hatchet, or tomahawk, and a long, sharp hunting knife. 
He wore a cap of mink skin, or of the skin of some other 
small animal, very often with the tail for a tassel. He 
had a long, muzzle-loading, flintlock rifle, and a leather 
pouch suspended by a strap over his shoulder. In this 



THE PIONEERS 



47 



pouch he carried his gun wipers, tow, patching, bullets, 
and flints, and fastened to the strap was a horn in which 
he carried his powder. Now, can you see how the pioneer 
looked ? 

The women and girls wore bonnets, dresses, shawls, etc., 
very much as they do to-day, except that grown people's 
skirts were a little J":lK^. , 

shorter and girls' a little 
longer than now, and all 
were very plainly made. 
There were no sewing 
machines in that day, 
and our great - grand- 
mothers had so much of 
other' work to do that 
they spent but little of 
their time on tucks and 
ruffles. 

Cotton was little 
known then ; the people 
raised hemp, flax, and 
wool, spun them into 
thread with a hand 
wheel, wove the thread 
into cloth on a hand 
loom, and cut out and made up all their garments at 
home. 

There was no other way to get clothing. There was no 
place to buy anything, except at the stores of Indian traders, 
and they kept very few things that white people wanted. 

There were no roads and no bridges, so wagons and 
carts could not be used. The pioneer moved into the 
country on foot or on horseback and brought his household 




Pioneer Girl 



48 



SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



goods on pack horses. These household goods would now 
be considered a very scant outfit. They were about as 

follows : the clothes of 
the family, some blank- 
ets and a few other bed- 




Pack Horses 

clothes, with bedticks to be filled with grass, hair, or other 
suitable material ; a large pot, a pair of pothooks, an oven, 
a skillet, and a frying pan ; a hand mill to grind grain, a 
wooden trencher to make bread in, a few pewter plates, 
cups, and other dishes ; some axes and hoes, the iron parts 
of plows, a broadax and a froe, a saw, and an auger. 
Added to these were supplies of seed of field crops, gar- 
den vegetables, and fruit trees. The pioneer who had all 
these things was thought to be very well furnished indeed. 
Many pioneers did not have half so much. 

When the family reached the place they wished to make 
their home, the men and boys cut trees and built a log 
house, split boards with the froe and made a roof, which 



THE PIONEERS 



49 



was held on by weight poles, since the pioneers had no 
nails and no place to get them. They split logs and 
hewed the sides flat and smooth to make a floor and door- 
shutters, built the chimney of logs and split sticks, cov- 
ering the inside with a heavy coat of clay to keep the 
wood parts from taking fire. They finished the house 
by filling the spaces between the logs of the walls with 
clay mortar to keep out the cold wind. The cabin was 
rather rough and not very handsome, but it was strong 
and warm. 

Carpets, mirrors, rocking chairs, and many other things 
with which we furnish our houses were unknown to the 
pioneer. He made some rough, strong bedsteads and 
tables, benches and three-legged stools, and drove some 
pegs into the walls, or fastened up some deer horns, to be 




Log House 



used as racks for clothing, guns, and other articles. Then 
he employed the best mechanic he could find to make a 
spinning wheel and a hand loom for his wife and daughters 
to use. 

The family is now settled and all that are old enough go 



50 



SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



to work. The horses and cattle are turned into the woods 
to eat grass in summer and cane in winter, and they need 
httle or no feeding, but are taught to come home at night 
to get salt and a little grain. 

, The father and sons cut the small trees and bushes from 
a piece of land and chop girdles around the large trees to 
kill them. They make rails and build a fence around this 
piece of land, pile the brush and burn it, and they have a 
field ready to plow and plant. After the first crop has 
been raised there is usually plenty in the settler's cabin, 
for his land is new and very rich. 

The mother and daughters spun, wove, knit, cooked, 
washed, dressed skins, and made clothing for the family 

Wild game fur- 
nished all their 
meat, and maple 
sap their sugar; 
they got water 
from natural 
springs, and all 
the cooking was 
done on the fire- 
place. 

There were no 
schools, no 
churches, no 
towns, no rail- 
roads, not even a 
wagon road, — 
nothing but the 
vast wilderness filled with wild animals and wild Indians, 
with here and there a few white settlers. Do you not 
think it required brave hearts to live there ? 




Spinning Wheel 



THE PIONEERS 5 1 

That was about a hundred and forty years ago. The 
people of that day never saw a cooking stove nor a sewing 
machine, a cotton gin nor a wheat thresher, a grass mower 
nor a horse rake, a steamboat nor a railroad, a telegraph 
nor a telephone, a roller mill nor a street car, a barbed 
wire fence nor a can of vegetables, a brass cartridge nor a 
breech-loading gun, nor a hundred other things that are 
very common with us. 

You must not think that these pioneers were stupid and 
ignorant. Many of them lived grand and noble lives. 
They loved liberty more than 'luxury, and, sacrificing ease 
for independence, they laid for us the foundation of a great 
commonwealth. It should be an irnportant part of the 
business of every boy and girl in Tennessee to take good 
care of this precious inheritance. 

At the pioneers' social parties that followed logrolhngs, 
cornshuckings, and quiltings, young men and maidens 
enjoyed, in their simple way, the same pleasures that have 
ever been dear to all young hearts. The boys and girls 
had games and sports as boys and girls have to-day. They 
worked and played beneath skies as fair as those of Italy, 
under the shadow of mountains grand in their beauty as 
the Alps, and beside streams more sparkling and musical 
than the classic Arno. 

Old people, young people, and children, all had brave 
hearts and willing hands, and at Watauga, Carters Val- 
ley, and Nollichucky they were preparing the way for civi- 
lization. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Military pioneers. 

2. Civil pioneers. 

3. Pioneers of Tennessee. 

4. First settler. Date. 



52 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

5. First three groups of settlements. Locate carefully. 

6. First settlers not troubled by Indians. 

7. Settlers find they are in North Carolina. Action. 

8. Price paid to Indians for land. 

9. One cause of some Indian wars. 

10. Character of pioneer people. 

11. Dress of pioneers. How obtained. 

12. Outfit and method of moving. 

13. Houses and furniture. 

14. Work of the family. 

15. Some things pioneers of Tennessee never saw. Why ? 

16. What the pioneers loved most. 

17. What the pioneers have done for us. 

18. Pleasures of young people and children. 

19. The three settlements. 



CHAPTER VII 

WATAUGA ASSOCIATION 

After the pioneers had lived quietly a little while in 
their new homes in Tennessee they began to feel the need 
of something else besides log cabins, rich land, and plenty 
of game. 

They had come to the new country to enjoy liberty and 
they had it in full. In fact, there was a little too much of 
it for a community where all were not good people. Some 
bad men came among the good ones and used their liberty 
to do wrong. There were no sheriffs, nor magistrates, 
nor judges in the new settlements to make disorderly char- 
acters behave themselves or to punish them for misbehav- 
ing. There was no place for the settlers to record the 
deeds to their land, no court to act upon the wills of people 
who died or to appoint guardians for their children, no 
officer authorized to issue a marriage license ; in fact, the 
pioneers were without any government. It is true they 
were in North Carolina, but at first they did not know this, 
thinking instead that they were in Virginia ; and if they 
had known all about their situation, it would have been 
of little value to them, for at that time, 1772, they hated 
the royal government in North Carolina, as many of them 
had fled from its oppression. Besides all this, a journey 
from Watauga to the capital of either North Carolina or 
Virginia would then have required more time and would 

53 



54 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

have been more difficult than a trip would now be from 
Rogersville to the capital of California. 

Something had to be done to secure orderly and decent 
life for a civilized people. The pioneers promptly settled 
the question by forming a free government of their own. 
This government was the Watauga Association, organized 
In 1772. 

At the beginning the association included only the 
Watauga and the Carters Valley settlements, but in 1775 
it was known that some people of the NolHchucky Settle- 
ment were ''Tories." Men from Wolfs Hill, Carters Val- 
ley, and Watauga went down to Brown's Store and made 
the Nollichucky people, and all other disaffected people, 
take the ''oath of fidelity to the common cause" of 
American liberty. Nollichucky became part of the Wa- 
tauga Association, and there was very little more of " Tory- 
ism " in Tennessee. 

The original paper, called " Articles of Association," 
that these people all signed and agreed to live by, has 
been lost ; but from some other old documents we have 
learned a good deal about this simple and original form of 
government. 

The people met in general convention and elected a 
committee of thirteen men who were to take the laws of 
Virginia as a guide and make laws suited to the needs of 
the new settlements. This committee was the legislative 
body. The Committee of Thirteen elected from their own 
number five commissioners who were to elect one of their 
own number chairman, settle all disputes, punish offenders, 
and discharge other duties similar to those performed by 
our county and circuit courts. This was the judicial body, 
but seems also to have had some executive powers. 

The clerk of the court was elected by the Committee 



WATAUGA ASSOCIATION 55 

of Thirteen. There was a sheriff and a prosecuting attor- 
ney, but we do not know by whom they were chosen. 
These were the executive officers, so far as we know. 

It is not probable that the same men served all the time 
in any of these offices, but we know nothing of changes 
except in the office of clerk. Felix Walker, Thomas Gom- 
ley, William Tatham, and John Sevier were clerks at dif- 
ferent times. 

Here is a list of the officials as their names appear in a 
petition, without date, sent to North Carolina in 1776 : — 

Committee of Thirteen. 

John Carter, Ckairman. Charles Robertson. Zach Isbell. 

Jas. Robertson. James Smith. Jacob Womac. 

John Sevier. John Jones. Robert Lucas. 

William Bean. George Russell. William Tatham. 
Jacob Brown. 

The Five Commissioners. Other Officers. 

John Carter, Chah-maii. William Tatham, Clej'k. 

Charles Robertson. Lewis Bowyer, Attorney. 

James Robertson. (The name of the sheriff is 
John Sevier. unknown.) 

Zach Isbell. 

As a model of government the Watauga Association 
would not please a modern lawyer or politician, but under 
it the new settlements grew rapidly in numbers and thrift, 
and all seemed prosperous and happy. 

The people had an absolutely free government, one that 
was wholly of their own making, one that had been estab- 
lished " by the consent of every individual." The stanch 
patriots who managed affairs thought that such a govern- 
ment ought to be respected and obeyed, — and it was. The 
commissioners held their sessions at regular times, recorded 
deeds, probated wills, issued marriage licenses, fined those 



56 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE ' 

who were disorderly, sent rascals to the whipping post for 
small offenses and hanged them for greater ones, with the 
energy and promptness of men who were thoroughly in 
earnest about the discharge of public duties. 

When the Revolution began, the Watauga Association 
named their country Washington District, in honor of Gen- 
eral George Washington, and voted themselves indebted 
to the United Colonies for their share of the general ex- 
penses of the Revolutionary War. 

This action made the British try to destroy the settle- 
ments. Alexander Cameron was Indian Commissioner 
for the British government among the Cherokees. He 
furnished guns and ammunition for the Indians and per- 
suaded them to make war on the settlers. 

In the spring of 1776, a friendly Indian woman, named 
Nancy Ward, told the white people that seven hundred 
Cherokee warriors, in two divisions, intended to attack the 
settlements. The chief, " Dragging Canoe," was to com- 
mand one division, and a chief named " Old Abraham," 
the other. 

Dragging Canoe was to capture Heaton's Station, a fort 
between the two branches of Holston River, about six miles 
from their junction, and then destroy all the settlements 
in that region. Old Abraham was to capture the Watauga 
Fort and destroy everything in that region. After destroy- 
ing the Tennessee settlements both divisions were to go 
into Virginia and there continue the robbing, burning, and 
kilUng. In the Virginia raid they were to be joined by 
"The Raven," a chief who was to lead a third band of 
warriors. 

When the settlers heard of this, they were very much 
alarmed. They sent the news to their Virginia friends 
and asked them to send men and ammunition to help in 



I 



WATAUGA ASSOCIATION 



57 



the defense. The Virginians sent both. The Tennes- 
seeans made their forts stronger, gathered the women and 
children into them, and provided plenty for all to eat. 

There were forty fighting men at Fort Watauga, and 
one hundred and seventy, including the Virginians, at 
Heaton's Station. 

A pioneer fort or station was made by building at each 
corner of a square piece of ground a strong log house, 
with others be- 
tween these ii 
needed, all hav- 
ing their doors 
facing the inside 
of the square. 
Thick posts eighl 
or ten feet high 
were then set side by side 
between the houses so as 
to make a solid wall all around 
the square. A gate was made 
of heavy timber and fastened 
on the inside with a strong chain or bar. Small open- 
ings were made in the walls for the men in the fort to 
shoot through. These openings were called portholes 
or loopholes. Sometimes the houses at the corners had 
a second story so much larger than the lower one that it 
projected two or three feet beyond the wall of the fort. 
From the loopholes of these blockhouses, as they were 
called, an enemy might be shot if he had succeeded in 
getting up to the wall of the fort to cut or burn it. Such 
a fort as this was a very good protection against Indians, 
as they had no cannon and the guns they used could not 
send a bullet through a thick log. 

TENN. HIST.- -4 




Fort 



58 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

In July, 1776, the Indians came. The men at Heaton's 
Station, following the advice of Captain William Cocke 
and Isaac Shelby, marched out of the fort, met Dragging 
Canoe at Island Flats, killed many of his best warriors, 
wounded him, and totally routed his whole band. The 
white people did not have a man killed and had only five 
wounded. 

The Watauga men were too few to march out and fight 
openly, but these forty good riflemen defeated Old Abra- 
ham's three hundred and fifty warriors when the fort was 
attacked, though the Indians tried for more than a week 
to capture it. 

James Robertson was captain and John Sevier Heuten- 
ant of those forty brave pioneers. These are the two 
greatest men in the early history of Tennessee, but every 
man in that fort was a hero whose memory deserves to be 
honored whether his name is known or not. 

After these battles a part of the Indians prowled about 
the settlements in parties of two or three, stealing cattle 
and horses, burning houses, and killing people whom they 
found alone, until the settlers killed most of them or drove 
them off. The people therefore decided that the best way 
to protect themselves from the Indian raids would be to 
attract the Indians' attention to their own homes and make 
them afraid of the white man's raids. 

Virginia and North Carolina sent soldiers to take part 
in the expedition against the Indians. The Watauga men 
joined them, and they marched into the Cherokee country, 
killed all the Indians they could find, burned their towns, 
destroyed their crops, killed or drove away their horses 
and cattle, and tried to make them understand that attack- 
ing the Watauga settlements was a dangerous business. 
This Indian war made all of the settlers determined 



WATAUGA ASSOCIATION 59 

Whigs. Those who had been disposed to be Tories and 
had to be forced to take the oath, now hated the British 
for having set the Indians against them. 

The Watauga settlements had grown rapidly under 
their simple form of government, and the people had 
hoped to establish a colonial government of their own 
similar to those of other American colonies. But the 
Revolutionary War had begun, and they thought them- 
selves too few to fight all the Indians and British and 
Tories that might be sent against them, so they considered 
it best to join some other colony. 

In August, 1776, they asked to be annexed to North 
Carolina. One hundred and thirteen men signed the 
petition for annexation, each with his own hand except 
two, who made their ** mark." There were not more than 
six or seven hundred people in all the settlements, so these 
signers must have been about all of the men. From this 
we see that less than two per cent of the pioneers were 
unable to write. Our ancestors were not illiterate back- 
woodsmen. 

In November, 1776, the Provincial Congress of North 
Carolina met at Halifax to draw up a bill of rights and 
form a constitution for the state. Among the delegates 
were John Carter, John Sevier, Charles Robertson, and 
John Haile from Washington District, so we may safely 
conclude that Watauga had been annexed, and we learn 
that three of the men who had helped to found the 
Watauga Association helped to frame the first free con- 
stitution of the State of North Carolina. 

The Watauga Association, though annexed to North 
Carolina, seems to have continued its government until 
February, 1778. In November, 1777, Washington District 
became Washington County, with boundaries including 



6o SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

tfte whole of the present State of Tennessee. What a 
huge county that was ! Can you give the boundaries ? 

Following is a list of the first justices of the peace in 
Washington County. These magistrates, who took the 
oath of office in February, 1778, composed the first county 
court that was ever organized in Tennessee. 



William Bean. 
John Carter. 
Zach Isbell. 
Robert Lucas. 
James Robertson. 
Charles Robertson. 
George Russell. 
John Sevier. 
Jacob Womac 



J. Chisholm. 
William Clarke. 
William Cobb. 
Benjamin Gist. 
Andr. Greer. 
Thos. Houghton. 
Jno. McMaihen. 
Jno. McNabb. 
William McNabb. 



Thos. Price. 

Valentine Sevier. 
John Shelby, Jr. 
James Stuart. 
Jesse Walton. 
RichM White. 
Benjamin Wilson. 
Joseph Wilson. 
MichU Woods. 



Compare the first nine names with the names of the 
"Committee of Thirteen," and you will see that, although 
the Watauga Association had ceased to exist, the manage- 
ment of the public affairs of Washington County was 
largely directed by the same men that had helped to found 
and administer the first entirely free government in 
America. 

The germ of Tennessee was the Watauga Association ; 
the first government estabhshed on this continent abso- 
lutely free of religious tests, class distinctions, kingly 
dictation, or proprietary interference. It was "a govern- 
ment of the people, by the people, and for the people " ; 
it served its purpose and has passed to its place of honor 
in the temple of history. Let us honor the memory of the 
pioneers who had the wisdom to found it and the courage 
to administer its difficult affairs through six years of toil 
and hardship on a remote and dangerous frontier. 



WATAUGA ASSOCIATION 6 1 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 



1. Need of the pioneers. Why? 

2. Distance from civilization. 

3. Watauga Association. 

4. Articles of Association. 

5. The legislative body. 

6. The judicial. 

7. The executive. 

8. Changes in office. 

9. The list of names. 

10. Character of the government 

1 1 . Prompt administration of law. 

12. Washington District. Patriotism, 

13. Conduct of the British. 

14. Nancy Ward. 

15. British and Indian plan. 

16. Preparations of the Watauga Association. 

17. A station or fort. 

18. The battles at Heaton's Station and Watauga. 

19. The two greatest men, 

20. Indian methods after the battle. 

21. Invasion of the Cherokee country. 

22. Effect of the Indian war on " Toryism." 

23. Petition for annexation to North Carolina. 

24. The signers of the petition. A " mark." 

25. The annexation, and end of Watauga Association. 

26. First county court in Tennessee. Date. 

27. Names of men connected with Watauga Association, first constitu 

tion of North Carolina, and first county court in Tennessee 

28. The first free government in America and its founders. 



CHAPTER VIII 



ROBERTSON AND SEVIER 



James Robertson. — Colonel Richard Henderson of North 
Carolina bought from the Cherokee Indians a very large 

tract of land, lying partly in 
what is now Tennessee, and 
partly in what is now Kentucky, 
and called it Transylvania. Be- 
fore making the trade with the 
Indians he employed Daniel 
Boone and several other hunt- 
ers to go out and examine the 
land for him. 

This party of hunters left 
Wake County, North CaroHna, 
in the spring of 1769, and with 
them went a young man who 
wished to find for himself better 
land than the sandy pine ridges 
of North Carolina. This young man was James Robertson. 
He was born in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1742, and 
while he was a small boy his parents moved to North 
Carolina, where he grew to manhood. 

He married Miss Charlotte Reeves and was living with 
his wife and one child, in Wake County, when Boone and 
his party of hunters started over the mountains. He 
traveled with Boone and his companions as far as Watauga 

62 




James Robertson 



ROBERTSON AND SEVIER 63 

and there stopped with William Bean and another settler 
named Honeycut. 

Robertson was sc? pleased with the Watauga country, 
that he built a house and raised a crop there and then went 
back to North Carolina for his wife and child. In 1770 or 
1 77 1 he moved his family to their new home, and, as we 
already know, became one of the leading men in the 
Watauga Association. He was not related to his friend 
and associate, Charles Robertson, who was from South 
Carolina. 

Late in the year 1778 James Robertson left Watauga 
and went to a new home deeper in the wilderness. He 
settled near where Nashville now is, and soon helped to 
organize a government there somewhat like the Watauga 
Association. He became chairman of the " Committee of 
Notables," and was the real leader of the new settlement 
in all of its struggles. 

He was colonel and afterward brigadier general of his 
district, Indian Commissioner to the Cherokees, a member 
of the North Carolina Legislature, and, in 1796, a member 
of the convention that framed the first constitution of the 
State of Tennessee. He died at the Chickasaw Agency 
near Memphis, in 18 14, while on a mission from President 
Madison to the Chickasaw Indians. His body was removed 
to Nashville in 1825. 

He has very justly been called "The Father of Middle 
Tennessee." His long life was one of continual activity 
and usefulness. He was not a great scholar, but his letters 
indicate fair education. He was a cool, prudent, fearless, 
firm man, of keen judgment, good manners, and great 
kindness. His personal appearance is described by his 
granddaughter, Mrs. Cheatham, as follows: — 

"He was about five feet nine inches in height, heavy 



64 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



built, but not fat. His head inclined slightly forward, so 
that his light blue eyes were usually shaded by his heavy 
eyebrows. His hair was very dark, — like a mole in color, — 
and his complexion, though naturally very fair, was dark- 
ened and reddened by exposure. I remember him as 
being uncommonly quiet and thoughtful and full of the 
cares of business. We all loved and venerated him." 

John Seviei^ — The Huguenots of France w^ere a reli- 
gious denomination somewhat like American Presbyte- 
rians, and were so cruelly perse- 
cuted that many of them fled to 
England and America. Among 
the refugees who came first to 
England and then to America, 
was a family named Xavier. In 
England this name became Se- 
vier. These Seviers were the 
ancestors of John Sevier, who 
was born in Rockingham 
County, Virginia, in 1745. He 
seems to have been reasonably 
well educated for the age in 
which he lived. He was mar- 
ried at seventeen years of age, and at twenty-eight was a 
widower with three sons. 

In 1772 he visited Watauga and met James Robertson. 
Soon after this he moved to Watauga, and some time after 
the defeat of Old Abraham he married Miss Katherine 
Sherrill, who has been called his '' Bonnie Kate." 

He was a member of the " Committee of Thirteen," 
Robertson's lieutenant at the battle of Watauga, com- 
mander of the Tennesseeans at the battle of Kings 
Mountain and in many Indian wars, governor of the short- 




John Sevier 



ROBERTSON AND SEVIER 65 

lived State of Franklin^ member of Congress from North 
Carolina and from Tennessee, and first governor of the 
State of Tennessee, and held many other important public 
positions. While on a mission from President Madison to 
the Creek Indians, in 181 5, he died at the agency in Ala- 
bama. His remains were removed to Knoxville in June, 



Sevier was five feet eleven inches high, weighed about 
one hundred and fifty pounds, had Hght hair, fair skin, blue 
eyes, was strikingly handsome in form and features, and 
remarkably kind and generous. His manners were grace- 
ful, winning, and exceedingly popular. He was a more 
dashing and brilliant man than Robertson and was his 
equal in courage, firmness, and self-reliance. He had no 
more solid qualities of character than Robertson, but was 
a man of broader views and greater statesmanship. 

No history of Tennessee could be written without say- 
ing a great deal about Robertson and Sevier, As their 
names must be mentioned so often, it is best that you 
should be familiar with the lives of these greatest of all 
the pioneers of Tennessee. This sketch of them is very 
short, and you should read some larger books. 

These two great men were lifelong friends. Both came 
to Tennessee in the early years of its settlement, both 
shared the perils and enjoyed the love and esteem of their 
fellow-pioneers, both devoted the whole of their long lives 
to the service of the state, both died far from home while 
on Indian missions for the United States government, 
and within a year of each other. The bodies of both were 
removed, long years after death, to be buried in the soil 
of the state they had loved and served so well. Truly, 
" they were very lovely in their lives, and in death they 
were not divided." 



66 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 



Of James 


Robertson 


? Of John 


Sevier? 




I. 


Birth, time and place. 






2. 


Education. 






3- 


Marriage. 






4- 


Settlement in Tennessee. 






5- 


Public services. 






6. 


Qualities. 






7- 


Personal appearance. 






8. 


Comparison. 






9- 


Death and burial. 





CHAPTER IX 



KINGS MOUNTAIN 



When the Watauga settlements became Washington 
County, in 1778, a wagon road was opened across the 
mountains into the settled parts of North Carolina, and 
travel became much easier. Many more people then 
moved into Tennessee, and in 1779 the huge County of 
Washington was divided, part of its territory being cut 
off to form Sullivan County, the 
second county organized in Tennes- 
see. Isaac Shelby was appointed 
colonel of the new county, and, after 
a short time, John Sevier was made 
colonel of Washington County. In 
the same year Jonesboro, the oldest 
town in Tennessee, was laid out and 
made the county seat of Washington 
County. 

The Tennesseeans were known to 
be thorough Whigs, and as they increased in numbers they 
became more able to aid the Revolutionary cause, and they 
did this to their utmost. To their enemies they were a very 
troublesome sort of soldiers. They had no baggage to 
look after. All were mounted on fleet horses that had been 
raised to make their own living in the woods. Each man 
carried a small sack of parched corn which he ate instead 
of bread, and killed wild game for his meat. A blanket and 

67 




6S SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

a long Deckhard rifle, with the usual hunting knife and 
tomahawk, completed his equipment. They came suddenly 
upon their enemies, fought with deadly effect, as every 
man was a sure marksman, and moved away so swiftly as 
to defy pursuit. 

When Alexander Cameron set the Indians to making war 
on the Tennessee settlements, as related in Chapter VII., 
he was obeying the orders of Captain Stuart, the British 
Indian agent for all of the southern tribes. This was 
carrying out a general plan of the British government 
for the Indians to attack the Americans on the west w^hile 
the British soldiers were attacking them on the east. We 
have learned how the Indians were defeated at Watauga 
and Island Flats. Colonel William Moultrie shot the Brit- 
ish war ships to pieces at Sullivans Island so that the 
British army could not be landed at Charleston to make 
the attack on the east, and the whole plan of i yyd was a 
failure. 

A similar plan was laid out by the British for the year 
1780, and Governor Rutherford of South Carolina asked 
Colonel Sevier and Colonel Shelby to send him all the 
men they could spare to help defend Charleston. Two 
hundred men started, but the British had captured Charles- 
ton before they had gone halfway on their journey. They 
then joined General McDowell of North CaroHna and won 
a battle at the Enoree River. 

Next the British took Savannah, and then Cornwallis 
defeated Gates at Camden, and the British and Tories 
held nearly all the important places in Georgia, South 
Carolina, and North Carohna. The American cause 
seemed lost. McDowell's forces disbanded and crossed 
the mountains. 

Among the British officers Colonel Patrick Ferguson, 



KINGS MOUNTAIN 69 

who commanded the left wing of CornwalHs's army in 
North Carolina, was one of the most active and energetic 
in punishing Whigs and gathering Tories into the army 
to go with Cornwallis into Virginia to finish the war there. 

Ferguson sent word to the Tennesseans, or over-moun- 
tain men, as he called them, that he intended to make 
them a visit and burn their houses and destroy their settle- 
ments unless they returned to their allegiance to the King 
of England. As they had no idea of returning to alle- 
giance to any king, they decided to pay Colonel Ferguson 
a visit instead of waiting for him to call on them. 

Sevier and Shelby got Colonel William Campbell of 
Virginia, Colonel Cleveland of North Carolina, and some 
other leaders who had small bodies of soldiers, to join 
them, and made Colonel Campbell commander of their 
whole force of about fifteen hundred men. Ferguson was 
at Gilbert-town, on his way to Watauga, when he heard 
that the over-mountain men, with their Deckhard rifles, 
were coming to call on him. 

This was not what Colonel Ferguson expected, nor was it 
at all to his Hking. He decided that Gilbert-town was not 
a good place to receive company ; especially visitors that 
were very handy in the use of Deckhard rifles. He there- 
fore retreated to Cowpens and sent to Cornwallis for more 
men, though he had about two thousand, partly British 
regulars and partly Tories. Some of his messengers were 
captured by the Whigs, and none reached CornwalHs until 
about the time of the battle of Kings Mountain. No help 
came, and his Tories deserted him until he had only about 
fifteen hundred men. 

From Cowpens he marched to the boundary line be 
tween North Carolina and South Carolina, and posted his 
men on the top of a very high, steep hill, which he named 



70 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

Kings Mountain, and declared that all the over-mountain 
men and all the other rebels in America could never drive 
him from his position. 

Campbell and the hardy pioneers followed him steadily 
and rapidly, making the last part of their march all day 
and all night in a drenching rain. Many of the men could 
not keep up with the rapid march, and only about eleven 




Battle of Kings Mountain 



hundred took part in the battle, — more than half of them 
being Tennesseeans. 

On Saturday, October 7, 1780, the pioneers surrounded 
the mountain and began the battle. Ferguson was a 
brave and skillful officer, but the pioneers were better 
marksmen than his men, and his soldiers fell thick and 
fast around him. De Peyster, his second in command, 
begged him to surrender, but he refused, cut down the 
white flag that was twice raised, sounded his silver whistle 



KINGS MOUNTAIN 7I 

to rally his men, and stubbornly continued the battle until 
he was shot dead. This was the end of Ferguson's vain 
threat to burn the houses and destroy the settlements of 
the over-mountain men. The over-mountain men had 
killed him and destroyed his army to protect their own 
homes. Not only had they done this; they had cut off the 
left wing of Cornwallis's army, and he was forced to re- 
treat from North CaroHna. 

When Ferguson fell, De Peyster surrendered at once. 
The actual fighting lasted a little more than one hour. 
Two hundred and twenty-five British and thirty Americans 
were killed. One hundred and eighty British and sixty 
Americans were wounded. Eight hundred prisoners, fif- 
teen hundred guns, many wagons and horses, and a large 
amount of plunder of various kinds were surrendered. 

The prisoners were sent into Virginia, and the wagons 
and other property that could not be carried away were 
burned. After hanging nine Tories, who had been guilty 
of desperate crimes, the over-mountain men went quickly 
^ack to their homes, as they feared an Indian raid might 
occur while they were absent. 

The battle of Kings Mountain marks the turning point 
in the Revolutionary War. It was won chiefly by the 
skill and energy of Sevier and Shelby and the heroic 
courage and endurance of their patriotic soldiers. These 
men were pure patriots who served their country because 
they loved their country, not because they expected or 
received any pay. The early settlers of Tennessee richly 
deserved the high honor of being called " The Rear Guard 
OF THE Revolution." This is the title of a very charming 
book, by James R. Gilmore, in which is told much about 
John Sevier and James Robertson and the Watauga settle- 
ment. 



72 SErriLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. First county of Tennessee. Size. 

2. Second county. Why organized. Date. 

3. Military commanders of each county. 

4. Importance of county colonel at that time. 

5. Oldest town in Tennessee. 

6. Tennessee soldiers of the Revolutionary period. 

7. War plans of the British for 1776. Result. 

8. The call for Tennesseeans in 1780. 

9. American disasters. 

10. Colonel Ferguson and his message to the over-mountain men 

11. Plan and arrangements of the Tennesseeans. 

12. Ferguson's preparations to receive his expected visitors. 

13. The march and number of men in the battle. 

14. Battle of Kings Mountain. 

15. After the battle. 

16. Importance of the victory. 

17. " The Rear Guard of the Revolution." 



CHAPTER X 

INDIAN WARS 

The war that began with the Indian attack upon the 
Watauga settlements has been described in Chapter VI I. 
This was not the first nor the last Indian war in which 
the Watauga people were engaged. The others of most 
importance to the Watauga settlers will be described in 
this chapter. 

Point Pleasant. — In 1774 Lord Dunmore, Governor of 
Virginia, sent some surveyors into Kentucky to lay out 
land which had been bought from the Indians by the 
treaty of Fort Stanwix. The Indians killed the surveyors 
and began a war on the Virginia settlers. The governor 
ordered General Lewis to raise an army and kill the 
Indians or drive them out of Kentucky. 

At that time the Watauga settlements were claimed 
by Virginia. Captain Evan Shelby, the father of Isaac 
Shelby, raised a company of fifty men at Watauga and 
joined General Lewis's army. Isaac Shelby was lieuten- 
ant, and James Robertson and Valentine Sevier, a brother 
of John Sevier, were sergeants in that company. 

October 6, 1774, the army camped on the banks of the 
Ohio River, where Point Pleasant now is, and sent out 
hunters each day to supply the camp with game. A Httle 
before daylight, on the morning of October 10, James 
Roberston and Valentine Sevier started out hunting and 
met an army of Indians coming to attack the camp. They 

TENN. HIST. — 5 73 



74 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

fired on the Indians and ran back to the camp. Soon the 
battle began. It lasted all day and was one of the fiercest 
ever fought by the Indians. They were thoroughly beaten 
in the end, and fled across the Ohio River. This was 
Watauga's first experience in Indian wars. 

Chickamauga. — The Chickamaugas were the most fero- 
cious and lawless of all the Indians, and they had been 
joined by a number of white outlaws worse than themselves. 
In 1779, the British Indian agents were collecting in the 
Chickamauga towns, just below where Chattanooga now 
stands, the guns and ammunition to be used by the Indians 
in the campaign of 1780, already explained in Chapter IX. 
The settlers did not know this, but they did know that 
the Chickamaugas were prowling about, stealing and kill- 
ing, and that they seemed to have plenty of guns and 
ammunition. The settlers suspected where these came 
from and determined to destroy the Chickamauga towns. 

Captain Evan Shelby was chosen by North Carolina 
and Virginia to command the expedition against the 
Chickamaugas. He knew all about Indians and their 
habits, and was himself as silent and sly as an Indian. 
His force floated down the Tennessee River in boats and 
came upon the Chickamaugas so unexpectedly that they 
were able to offer little resistance. He killed their braves, 
destroyed the British guns and ammunition, burned their 
towns and their corn, and left them scattered in the woods 
and too busy getting enough to eat to trouble the white 
people for at least a year after his visit. 

Boyds Creek. — When Sevier and his men returned from 
Kings Mountain, they found that they had not reached 
home a day too early. The Indians were preparing to 
attack the settlements. Sevier determined to treat them 
as he had treated Ferguson, — go to them instead of wait- 



INDIAN WARS 75 

ing for them to come to him. He gathered his trusty 
riflemen, met the Indians at Boyds Creek, and slaugh- 
tered them without mercy. 

Echota, — After the battle at Boyds Creek, Sevier pushed 
forward to the Little Tennessee River and defeated another 
body of Indians at Echota. As this was the home of 
Nancy Ward, the friendly Indian woman, it was not 
destroyed. All the other towns of that region were 
burned. 

Tellico. — The towns along the Tellico, Hiawassee, and 
Chickamauga were laid in ashes, and Sevier pushed on 
to the Coosa River in Georgia. Everything that could 
be of any use to the Indians was burned, broken, killed, 
or carried away. Sevier took only prisoners enough to 
exchange for white people that had been carried off by 
the Indians. Behind him he left only dead Indians and 
cattle, smoke-blackened ruins, and ravaged fields. This 
whole expedition lasted sixty-three days, and Sevier had 
only one man killed. 

Tuckasege. — In 1 781 the Cherokees living high up in 
the mountains, about the head waters of Little Tennessee 
River, began stealing horses and cattle and killing settlers. 
They thought their country was too wild and rough for 
Sevier to reach them, but he and his bold riflemen climbed 
over the wild, high mountains and carried slaughter and 
fire and destruction to the Tuckasege towns as they had 
done to the valley towns the year before. 

To go into the details of all of Sevier's Indian wars 
would make this chapter too long. Enough has been 
told for you to understand his methods. Sevier was a 
really kind and generous man, but he was a fearless and 
resolute one. He knew the Indians well, and knew that 
they would continue to plunder and kill white people 



76 SETTTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

unless they were made afraid to do it. For this reason 
he adopted measures that made the name of " NolHchucky 
Jack," as the Indians called him, a dread and a terror to 
the Cherokees. 

The Indians were treated very unjustly in many ways, 
and wicked white men often led them into trouble. We 
have seen how the British brought ruin upon them by 




Indian Battle 



Starting them into war with the Watauga or East Tennessee 
settlers. Further on in this history we shall see how the 
Spaniards led them into trouble with the Cumberland, or 
Middle Tennessee, settlers. The Indian's greatest mis- 
take was that he would not try to become civilized. A 
civilized and a savage people can never live peaceably 
together. The white men knew this and, as the Indians 
would not be civilized, the white people tried to extermi- 
nate them as they did wolves or bears or other dangerous 
animals. 



INDIAN WARS y^ 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Formation of General Lewis's army. 

2. The Watauga company. 

3. Battle at Point Pleasant. 

4. Character of the Chicfcamaugas. 

5. British arrangements among them. 

6. Captain Evan Shelby's expedition. 

7. Boyds Creek. 

8. Echota. 

9. Tellico, Hiawassee, Chickamaiiga, and Coosa Rivers. 

10. Length of Sevier's campaign. Results. 

1 1 . Tuckasege. 

12. Sevier's methods. 

13. Conduct of white men toward the Indians. 

14. The Indian's greatest mistake. 



CHAPTER XI 

STATE OF FRANKLIN 

In 1783 another section of territory was cut off from 
Washington County and formed into Greene County. 
There were then three counties in what is now Tennessee, — 
Washington, Sullivan, and Greene. The people of Ten- 
nessee, in spite of all difficulties and dangers, had steadily 
increased in numbers and wealth and were beginning to 
feel strong enough to form a new state of their own. 

The Revolutionary War was over and the Congress and 
all the states were very much in debt for war expenses. 
Congress had proposed that the states should give their 
western lands to the general government and that Congress 
should sell these lands and pay all of the debts. 

The states agreed to this plan, and in 1784 North 
Carolina ceded to the United States what is now the State 
of Tennessee and gave Congress two years in which to 
accept or reject the grant. This seemed at first to be all 
good enough, but very soon facts were discovered that 
alarmed the people of Tennessee very much. 

There had been no suitable arrangement for a govern- 
ment during the two years that Congress might delay 
accepting. 

There had been no brigadier general appointed for the 
three counties, and no one else could lawfully call out the 
soldiers. The Indians might attack the settlers at any time 
and kill and plunder as they pleased. 

78 



STATE OF FRANKLIN y(^ 

No judge of the superior court had been provided, and 
no one else could legally try criminal cases. As soon as 
this should become known, the horse thieves and murderers 
and bandits of all classes would crowd into the settlements, 
where they would be safe from law and do as they pleased. 

The people had no desire to live through two years of 
Indian butchery and lawlessness. They abused North 
Carolina roundly, said that she cared nothing for her 
children west of the mountains, and had never been any- 
thing more than a stepmother to them at best. After 
saying as many bad things of their stepmother as they 
could think of, they determined to take care of themselves 
in their own way, without leave or license from the State 
of North Carolina or any one else. 

Each military company elected two representatives, and 
these representatives formed the County Committee. The 
County Committees called a general convention which 
met at Jonesboro in August, 1784, and elected John Sevier 
president and Landon Carter secretary. This convention 
resolved to form a new state and provided for another 
convention to form a constitution and start the new govern- 
ment. Soon a very strange constitution, providing that 
lawyers, doctors, and preachers should never be members 
of the legislature, was presented. It also contained sev- 
eral other things so new and strange that the people 
would not have it. Then the constitution of North Caro- 
lina, with a few changes, was adopted, and the new state 
was named Franklin. Frankland was firsi proposed, but 
it was changed to Franklin in honor of Dr. Benjamin 
Franklin. 

John Sevier was elected governor of the new state, and 
David Campbell judge of the superior court. Greeneville 
was made the capital of the state. The first legislature 



8c SEITLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

met early in 1785 ; Landon Carter was speaker of the Sen- 
ate, and Thomas Talbot was clerk. William Cage was 
speaker of the House, and Thomas Chapman was clerk. 

The new government went at once into the discharge of 
all the duties of a regularly formed state. It made treaties 
with the Indians, opened courts, organized new counties, 
and fixed taxes and officers' salaries to be paid in money, 
corn, tobacco, whisky, deer skins, mink skins, beeswax, 
tallow, hemp, flax, linsey, wool, bacon, and in fact almost 
anything in common, use among the people. What a time 
the tax collectors must have had ! 

When the Governor of North Carolina heard what was 
going on over the mountains he sent an address to the 
people of the new state, ordering them to disband their 
government and return at once to their allegiance to the 
State of North Carolina. The Legislature of North Caro- 
lina repealed the act of cession to the United States, John 
Sevier was appointed brigadier general of the militia, and 
David Campbell was appointed judge of the superior court 
of the district. 

John Sevier at once advised the people to drop the 
Franklin movement, as North Carolina had provided all 
that was necessary for their proper government and pro- 
tection. They would not Hsten to his advice, but said they 
would have a new state and that he must be their governor. 
As he could not make them follow his advice he deter- 
mined to serve them, and for more than two years he put 
forth every effort of his splendid talents to establish and 
maintain the State of Franklin. 

Two parties grew up in the country, — the Franklin party 
and the North CaroHna party. John Sevier was the leader 
of the Franklin party, and a man named John Tipton, of 
the North Carolina party. Tipton was at first strongly in 



STATE OF FRANKLIN 8 1 

favor of the Franklin movement, but when he saw that 
the people preferred Sevier for governor, he changed to 
the other side. He hated Sevier more than he loved any 
party or principles. Most historians seem to consider him 
a very high-tempered, narrow-minded man. 

The Legislature of North Carolina passed acts of pardon 
for all those who would return to their allegiance, and 
Governor Caswell issued proclamations in a kind and gen- 
erous spirit, and these acts led many people to think better 
of North Carolina than they had done a year before. Be- 
sides this, a great many people began to be afraid that if 
they did not return to their allegiance their stepmother 
might conclude to give them a little of the persuasion that 
mothers sometimes give when their children are naughty 
and unruly. For these and other reasons the North Caro- 
lina party became stronger every day. After a while a 
set of North Carolina officers were elected and there were 
two governments in force in the same country. 

The rival officers quarreled and fought over their sup- 
posed rights ; the stronger party often turned the weaker 
one out of doors and took possession of the courthouses, 
jails, and public records ; the people did not know to which 
officers they ought to pay taxes, and therefore paid no taxes 
at all ; marriage licenses, guardian bonds, mortgages, deeds, 
and all public papers recorded by one party were not rec- 
ognized as lawful by the other, and everything was getting 
into such a tangle that many of the people heartily wished 
that they had never heard of the State of Franklin. 

Sevier tried with all his might to persuade North Caro- 
lina to agree to the independence of the State of Franklin, 
but North Carolina would not do it. He then tried to get 
the United States Congress to recognize the state, but 
Congress would not listen to the proposition. Finally he 



82 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

tried to get the help of the State of Georgia, but Georgia 
said it was none of her affairs and that North CaroHna 
and Franklin must settle it between themselves. 

Day by day the Franklin party became weaker, and 
when Sevier's term as governor expired, in March, 1788, 
the State of Franklin was dead and North Carolina was 
in full control. Sevier went on an expedition against the 
Cherokees, and on his return was arrested and handcuffed 
by order of Tipton, who held office under North Carolina. 

Sevier was sent over the mountains to be tried for trea- 
son ; that is, attempting to form a separate government 
within the territory of a state and refusing to obey the 
governor when ordered to return to his allegiance to North 
Carolina. He was rescued by his friends, neither the judge 
nor the sheriff seeming to care, and was never tried. Really, 
nobody except Tipton was very anxious to have him tried. 
He was soon elected to the Senate of North Carolina, was 
restored by act of the legislature to all his former privileges, 
and was made brigadier general of the Washington Dis- 
trict. In 1789 he was elected a member of the United 
States Congress from the western district of North Caro- 
lina, and was the first congressman from the Mississippi 
Valley. Year after year his fame increased until the end 
of his long life, and he is, perhaps, the grandest figure in 
Tennessee history. 

It is not at all probable that the Franklin movement was 
a willful rebellion or an ambitious revolution. John Tipton 
and a few others like him were very anxious to have the 
State of Franklin until they found that they could not get 
the offices they wanted, and then they turned against it. 
Perhaps some men of the Franklin party were influenced by 
bad motives, but the great majority were not. Sevier, Cocke, 
Doak, Ramsey, Campbell, Carter, Houston, and many others, 



STATE OF FRANKLIN 83 

who held the high offices of the Franklin government, had 
all the offices they wanted before the State of Franklin 
was formed and also after it ceased to exist. They were 
all great and good men who had the unbounded confidence 
of the people and had nothing personal to gain by the for- 
mation of a new state. 

The State of FrankHn was organized because the people 
demanded it. They knew that the formation of a new 
state had been provided for in the annexation of Watauga 
to North Carolina. They were beginning to feel strong 
enough for the change, and when they considered them- 
selves abandoned by North Carolina without law or pro- 
tection they thought the time had come to form the new 
state. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Counties in 1783. 

2. Increase in numbers and wealth. 

3. Plan for paying the Revolutionary war debts. 

4. Cession of Tennessee to the United States. 

5. Cause of alarm among the settlers. 

6. Opinions of North Carolina. 

7. Organization of the State of Franklin. 

8. Chief officers and capital. 

9. Acts of the new government. 

10. Action of the governor and legislature of North Carolina. 

11. John Sevier's advice. Result. 

12. The two parties and their leaders. 

13. Action of Governor Caswell and its effect. 

14. The two sets of officers. Resulting confusion. 

15. Sevier's efforts to establish the new state. 

16. End of the State of Franklin. 

17. Sevier's arrest and result. 

18. Sevier restored to citizenship and office. 

19. Was the formation of Franklin a rebellion ? 

20. Character of the prominent men of Franklin. 

21. Real cause of the Franklin movement. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE CUMBERLAND SETTLEMENTS 

Do you remember anything of Colonel Richard Hender- 
son and his "Transylvania" purchase mentioned in Chap- 
ter VIII. ? He had a number of partners, and they were 
all together called *' The Transylvania Company." 

All the fine land he bought from the Indians was worth 
nothing unless he and his partners could get settlers to 
live on it. Land that produces no crops or other wealth 
is of no real value. 

Many of the Indian chiefs were in favor of this sale of 
land because they thought that white settlers along the 
Cumberland and Kentucky rivers would keep northern 
Indians off their southern hunting grounds. Oconostota, 
a famous Cherokee chief, opposed the sale and predicted 
that the white people would have a great deal of trouble 
in settling the country they had bought. His prediction 
was correct, as we shall see in the course of this story. 

The Transylvania Company offered large tracts of good 
land for a very small price to any one who would settle on 
their purchase. In 1778 Thomas Sharpe Spencer and a 
party of hunters came from Kentucky to settle in Middle 
Tennessee near where Nashville now stands. The place 
was then called Big Salt Lick or French Lick, and was a 
wild, lonely, dangerous country. After clearing a piece of 
ground, near Castalian Springs, in what is now Sumner 
County, planting corn, and learning the dangers of living 
there, all of the party except Spencer said they would rather 

84 



THE CUMBERLAND SETTLEMENTS 



85 



keep the hair on their heads and not have quite so much 
rich land and fat game. They went back to Kentucky, 
leaving Spencer by himself in the wilderness. He said he 

would risk the Indians' getting 
his scalp, so he watched his clear- 
ing, raised his crop of corn, and 
lived all the following winter in a 
big, hollow sycamore tree. This 
man was the first actual settler in 
Middle Tennes- 
see. 

Spencer did 
not know that 
there was a 
white man with- 
in a hundred 
miles of him, 
but there were 
along the Cum- 
berland River 
a few hunters 
and trappers in 
the service of 
Captain De Mumbreun, or Montbreun, a French fur trader 
who afterward lived at Nashville. 

Spencer was a man of gigantic size. One day he passed 
near the hut of one of these trappers ; soon afterward, it 
is said, the trapper saw his tracks and ran away to the 
French settlements on the Wabash River and reported 
rhat the Cumberland country was inhabited by such big 
giants that he was afraid to stay there. This story may 
be true or it may be a joke that some one made on the 
great size of Spencer's feet 




Spencer at Home 



86 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

We do not know what promises the Transylvania Com- 
pany made to James Robertson and some of his Watauga 
friends, but they must have been very liberah Late in the 
year 1778, Robertson, seven other white men, and one 
negro left Watauga and traveled through the woods to the 
place where Spencer had raised his crop of corn during the 
summer of that year. They at once selected land near 
French Lick, built cabins and forts, cleared fields, and 
planted corn the following spring. Soon after the arrival 
of Robertson's party they were joined by another under the 
lead of a trapper named Casper Mansker. 

Robertson went to see General George Rogers Clark at 
Kaskaskia, about the title to their lands, and on this trip 
met John Raines and a party of pioneers on their way to 
Kentucky. He persuaded them to go with him to French 
Lick. Soon after Raines came a party of settlers from 
South Carolina moved in, and, for a little while, there was 
almost a steady stream of immigrants coming into the 
Cumberland country. 

Robertson and his companions had left their wives and 
children at Watauga. December 22, 1779, a flatboat called 
the Adventure, and a number of small craft, left Fort 
Patrick Henry, on the Holston River, to float down the 
Holston into the Tennessee, and down the Tennessee to 
the Ohio, then to be poled and paddled up the Ohio to the 
Cumberland, then up the Cumberland to French Lick. 
This fleet of boats was under the command of John Don- 
elson, and carried the families of Robertson and his associ- 
ates, in company with many other immigrants, to the 
Cumberland country. They did not reach Nashville, or 
French Lick, until April 24, 1780. 

John Donelson kept a daily journal of this long voyage. 
It is one of the most interesting old documents of Tennes- 



THE CUMBERLAND SETTLEMENTS 87 

see history, but is too long to be given here. You can 
find the whole of it in Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee and 
in some other large histories. 

Donelson's journal tells how these brave adventurers 
suffered from hunger and cold, and storms and wrecks, 
and sickness and Indian attacks, and how they succeeded 
in passing through all of these, and many other perils, 
and finally landing at the Big Salt Lick to take posses- 
sion of the log-cabin homes that loving hands had built 
for them. 

All of the immigrants that have been mentioned did not 
settle at Nashville. In May, 1780, there were eight regu- 
lar stations, or forts, and some scattered settlements. The 
stations were Nashborough, the present Nashville ; Free- 
land's, north of Nashville; Gasper's, farther north at 
Goodlettsville ; Fort Union, about six miles up the river 
from Nashville ; Eaton's, on the east side of the Cumber- 
land about two or three miles below Nashville ; Stones 
River, west of the Hermitage ; Asher's, very near Galla- 
tin ; and Bledsoe's at Sulphur Springs, or CastaHan Springs, 
in what is now Sumner County. Can you describe a 
pioneer fort or station } If you cannot, turn back and 
read Chapter VII. 

As soon as the pioneers had established homes in the 
wilderness they set about organizing a government that 
would insure decency and good order in the new settle- 
ments. Each station sent representatives to Nashborough, 
and they drew up a " Compact of Government " which 
was signed. May 13, 1780, by two hundred and fifty-six 
persons, only one man making his "mark." 

The ** Compact of Government " is a long document 
that may be found in Putnam's History of Middle Tetines- 
see. It provided a government suited to the needs of the 



8S SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

time and place for which it was made. The judicial and 
executive powers were placed in the hands of twelve 
** Notables " or " General Arbitrators." James Robertson 
was made the chairman of this body and was therefore 
the real governor of the colony and the commander of the 
militia. 

Robertson and his associates in office went to the dis- 
charge of their public duties in much the same manner as 
did the '' Committee of Thirteen " at Watauga, except that 
they never hanged any one. The *' Compact of Govern- 
ment " did not give them that power. 

Until the summer of 1780 the Cumberland settlers were 
not troubled by Indians. There were three reasons for 
this. I. John Sevier had given the Cherokees enough of 
war to keep them quiet for a little while. 2. One of the 
boats in Donelson's fleet carried a family that had small- 
pox. This boat was kept behind the others. The Indians 
captured it, killed the people, plundered the boat, took 
smallpox themselves, and died by hundreds. 3. The win- 
ter of 1779-80 was so severe that the Cumberland River 
was frozen deeply enough for cattle to be driven across it 
on the ice.^ This severe weather made game very scarce 
and kept the Indians busy making fires and getting enough 
to eat. 

In the summer of 1780 the Indians began to kill the 
settlers and hunters that they found alone or in small 
parties, and this was kept up all the season. There was 



1 Only twice, if at all, in the history of Tennessee has the weather been so 
cold as in 1780. On "Cold Friday," Februarys, 1835, cattle and hogs were 
frozen to death. On the night of February 12, 1899, the official record shows 
29 degrees below zero at Trenton, 28 at Union City, and 27 at Dresden. 
These are the lowest records in the state. We have no official record for 
1780 and 1835. 



THE CUMBERLAND SETTLEMENTS 



89 



no open attack upon the settlements, but if a man went 
out to gather corn, to hunt, to feed his stock, or to visit a 
neighbor he was in constant danger of being shot by an 
Indian hidden away in a thicket or canebrake. 




Indian Warriors 



In spite of this constant danger and loss of life, the 
Cumberland settlements were growing stronger and better 
prepared to resist the fierce Indian war which came upon 
them the next year. 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. The Transylvania Purchase. 

2. Indian views of the treaty and sale. 

3. Inducements to settle in the Cumberland country 

4. The first settler in Middle Tennessee 

5. Spencer and the Frenchman. 

TENN. HIST. — 6 



90 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

6. James Robertson and his party. 

7. Other settlers. 

8. The voyage of the Adventure, 

9. John Donelson's journal. 

10. The eight stations or forts. 

11. The Compact of Government. 

12. No Indian troubles until the summer of 1780. 

13. First Indian warfare on the Cumberland. 

14. Progress of the settlements. 



CHAPTER XIII 

DAVIDSON COUNTY 

In the spring of 1781 the Indians determined to destroy 
the Cumberland settlements, and Cherokees, Creeks, Chick- 
amaugas, and some others united for this purpose. They 




Defense of Nashborough 

attacked the fort at Nashborough, April 2, 1781, and were 
totally defeated by the heroic settlers in a savage fight 
called the battle of the Bluffs. At a critical time in the 
battle, Mrs. Robertson, it is said, turned out of the fort 
about fifty fierce dogs and set them on the Indians. 

91 



92 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

After their defeat the Indians divided into small parties, 
stole horses and cattle, burned houses, and killed people 
who were at work or out hunting. They could quack Hke 
ducks or gobble like turkeys or imitate the cries of nearly 
all wild beasts and thus lead hunters up to their hiding 
places and shoot them. The white men soon learned this 
trick and turned it against the Indians. Mansker, Spen- 
cer, Castleman, and many others became even more expert 
at " gobbling up " Indians than the Indians were in deceiv- 
ing them. 

For years every man in the Cumberland settlements 
slept with a loaded rifle within reach. If one plowed or 
chopped, others stood guard for him with loaded guns ready 
for use. Some one was constantly on watch at the gates 
of the forts, and scouts ranged the woods in all directions. 
No one outside of a fort was safe for a single moment. 
James Robertson is said to have slept with one eye open 
every night ; that is, he was constantly watchful and care- 
ful for the safety of the settlement. He was a wonderful 
man, — a man of iron when necessary, — but withal so 
kind and true that he was the friend, the guide, the coun- 
selor and commander of all the people, and the real ** Father 
of Middle Tennessee." 

In 1783 the Cumberland settlements were organized into 
Davidson County, embracing in its territory all of Middle 
Tennessee north of Duck River. A Court of Pleas and 
Quarter Sessions (county court) was estabHshed by North 
Carolina and the " Compact of Government " came to an 
end. A log courthouse eighteen feet square, and a jail of 
smaller size and like material, were built. Nashborough 
was made the county seat, and its name was changed to 
Nashville in 1784. James Robertson was elected represen- 
tative to the North CaroUna Legislature, and attended the 



DAVIDSON COUNTY 93 

sessions regularly, though he had to go and come more 
than six hundred miles, and half of the way at the constant 
risk of his life. What a brave, true-hearted man he must 
have been ! 

The newly formed county court seems to have been 
about the nearest approach to an omnipotent body that 
ever existed in North America. It levied and collected 
taxes, cleared roads, laid out towns, sent offenders to jail 
and the whipping post, opened and operated a land office, 
regulated the currency, made and enforced sumptuary 
laws, raised and equipped armies, declared war and made 
treaties, tried to negotiate with a foreign nation, — Spain, 
— for the navigation of the Mississippi; in fact, did a 
little of everything within the power of a governor, legis- 
lature, and courts of a state, besides several things that 
were not. There seems to have been only one thing that 
it could not do ; that was to draw money from the North 
Carolina treasury. Not a penny would North Carolina 
ever spend for the benefit of her western settlers. 

Strange as the proceedings of Davidson County Court 
may now appear, it was necessary that those magistrates 
should act as they did. Immigrants were constantly com- 
ing in and were a welcome addition to the strength of the 
settlements. They had to buy corn until they could raise 
a crop. Now, if some one who had corn to sell wished to 
ship it down the Cumberland River and sell it to a Ken- 
tucky distiller, the court would issue an order forbidding 
it. This looks like taking a man's personal rights from 
him. We should call such an order a sumptuary law. 
But it was a necessity ; the corn was needed to make 
bread for the incoming settlers until they could raise a 
crop. 

It seems to us very absurd that a county court should 



94 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

keep a standing army. But the Cumberland people were 
six hundred miles from the capital of their state ; they 
were in the midst of savage enemies and had to take care 
of themselves. They looked to their county court for 
everything pertaining to the public safety, as it was the 
only legal authority within reach of them. The men who 
composed this court were true patriots. While they took 
the responsibility of some very strange and arbitrary 
acts, they seem always to have tried to serve their people 
faithfully. 

Under the rule of this all-powerful county court the 
Cumberland settlements grew and spread over the coun- 
try, though some one was killed almost every day by the 
Indians. Robertson and all of the wise men tried to make 
peace with the savages, but could not do it. In another 
chapter I will explain to you why they could not. 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Indian plans for 1781. 

2. Battle of the Bluffs. 

3. Indian warfare after the battle. 

4. Conditions under which settlers lived and worked. 

5. " The Father of Middle Tennessee." 

6. Davidson County. 

7. The county seat, courthouse, and jail. 

8. Representative in the legislature. 

9. Remarkable proceedings of the county court. Reasons. 

10. Who now exercise the powers then e.xercised by that county court ? 

1 1 . Prosperity of the county. 

12. Efforts to make peace with the Indians. 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE SPANIARDS 

Now let us learn a chapter of Spanish American history 
so that we may better understand the condition of the 
Cumberland people. It looks a little strange that we 
should study Spanish affairs in order to understand about 
Tennessee, but we must do it, and the lesson must be well 
learned. 

In 1762, while the "Intercolonial Wars" were going 
on, England took Cuba from Spain. The next year, you 
remember, England and France made their treaty of peace, 
and France surrendered all of her territory east of the Mis- 
sissippi River (except New Orleans) to England ; about the 
same time, also, France gave New Orleans and all her land 
west of the Mississippi to Spain. England thus owned all 
of the country east of the Mississippi, except New Orleans 
and Florida; but by the same treaty of 1763, she gave 
Cuba back to Spain in exchange for Florida, so as to have 
all of her American possessions together. Study carefully 
the map of North America in connection with this para- 
graph, — do not try to understand it without the map 
before you. 

In 1783 the Revolutionary War closed, the thirteen 
English colonies in North America became independent 
states, and thus England lost all of her territory east of 
the Mississippi except Canada and Florida. England then 
gave Florida back to Spain in exchange for the Bahama 
Islands, and left Spain and the United States to quarrel 

95 



96 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

over the northern boundary line of Florida, which had 
never been definitely established. 

As the United States was not at that time a strong 
nation, Spain at once put soldiers into the forts at Pensa- 
cola, Mobile, New Orleans, and Natchez; and the Spanish 
governor general, who lived at New Orleans, claimed 
what is now Alabama, Mississippi, much of Tennessee, 
and a small part of Kentucky as Spanish territory. In 1794 
he built Fort Barancas where Memphis now is. 

Nearly all of the Indians in this territory, except the 
Chickasaws, hated the Americans. The Spaniards told 
the Indians that the King of Spain was their friend, and 
that he would keep the Americans from taking their land 
from them. Then they sent out their agents and traders, 
who furnished the Indians with guns and ammunition and 
told them to kill out all of the white settlers west of the 
mountains in Tennessee. 

To make still more trouble for all of the people of the 
United States, west of the mountains, the Spaniards would 
not allow them to use the Mississippi River. In those 
days there were no railroads nor good wagon roads across 
the mountains. The western settlers had no way to carry 
their produce to market except by the rivers, and all of 
these rivers finally ran into the Mississippi. The settlers 
could not buy tea nor coffee nor sugar nor anything else 
unless they could get to a market to sell their crops and 
thus get money to buy what they needed. 

You are probably thinking that it seems very foolish 
and wicked for the Spaniards to have encouraged the In- 
dians to kill white people, and to have kept the western 
settlers from buying and selling in Natchez and New 
Orleans, where many Spanish merchants were anxious to 
trade with them. 



THE SPANIARDS 



97 



The Spanish officials thought they had good reasons for 
acting as they did. Count Aranda, the Prime Minister of 
Spain, had told the Spanish king that the United States, 
if left to themselves, would soon become a great power 
and drive the Spanish out of North America. A Creek 
Indian chief, Alexander McGillivray, had made a very simi- 
lar prediction to the governor general at New Orleans. 

The object of the Spanish authorities, therefore, was to 
keep the United States from becoming a great power. 
They determined to prevent the use of the Mississippi 
River for trade, and thus discourage western settlement ; 
to get the Indians to destroy the settlements that were 
already in Tennessee and Kentucky ; then to claim that 
the northern boundary of their Florida possessions was 
somewhere near the mouth of the Ohio River. If this 
plan could be carried out, they knew that the United 
States would be much weaker and Spain much stronger in 
America. 

As one means of carrying out their purposes, the Span- 
iards made a treaty with McGillivray, and promised him 
the regular pay of a Spanish general if he would keep the 
Indians at war with the Cumberland settlers. The Span- 
ish traders furnished plenty of guns and ammunition, and 
the business was exactly to the taste of McGillivray and 
the Indians. 

Now you can understand why Robertson and the Cum- 
berland settlers could not make peace with the Indians. 
The chiefs were paid to keep the war going on. McGilli- 
vray did not care how many white people nor how many 
Indians were killed, nor whether Spain or the .western 
settlers were ruined by the war. He stayed in his Alabama 
home and pretended to be a friend to both parties while 
drawing his pay and keeping up the war. 



98 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

McGillivray was only one fourth Indian. His father 
was a Scotchman of good family, his mother a half-blood 
Indian. Her father was a Spaniard who held office in the 
French army. From Pickett's History of Alabama, and 
other sources, we learn that McGillivray was tall, slender, 
very handsome, a fine scholar, a polished gentleman in 
manners, having the cool judgment and shrewdness of a 
Scotchman, the self-conceit and duplicity of a Spaniard, 
and the treachery and ferocity of an Indian. Perhaps he 
was altogether the most remarkable combination of scholar, 
savage, gentleman, ruffian, diplomat, knave, and scoundrel 
that ever lived in America. 

This man, who seems to have had no more conscience 
than a wildcat, ruled the Creeks and Seminoles, and had 
great influence among other tribes. He made fair prom- 
ises to James Robertson and to the Spanish governor, 
accepted presents from both, though he cared nothing for 
either of them, and never had the sHghtest regard for his 
own promises. He. kept the Indians making war on the 
settlers only because he was paid to do so, and kept mak- 
ing fair promises to the Cumberland people because he 
hoped thereby to get more pay. 

Robertson finally learned McGillivray's character, and 
saw that it was useless to have any dealings with him. 
He then turned his attention to the Spanish governor at 
New Orleans in order to secure peace for the Cumberland 
settlements. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ? 

1. Conquest and transfers of American territory in 1762 and 1763. 

2. Other transfers in 1783. 

3. Spanish claims east of the Mississippi in 1783. 

4. Spanish dealings with the Indians. 



THE SPANIARDS 99 

5. Spanish markets of Natchez and New Orleans necessary to western 

settlers. 

6. Predictions of Count Aranda and of Alexander McGillivray. 

7. Spanish plans and purposes in preventing the use of the Mississippi. 

8. The treaty with McGillivray. 

9. Why Robertson could not make peace with the Indians 

10. Family history of Alexander McGillivray. 

1 1 . Personal appearance and general character. 

12. Dealings with Robertson and the Spaniards. 

13. Lesson learned by Robertson. 

14. Next efforts for peace on the Cumberland. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE TERRITORY 

In all of their struggles with Indians, and hardships of 
every kind, the Cumberland people never received any 
real help from North Carolina. The legislature passed 
acts that amounted to nothing more than giving them 
leave to take care of themselves. This they knew they 
could do, and had done without any acts of the North 
CaroHna Legislature, and therefore they did not feel very 
grateful to North Carolina, or very much in love with her 
ways. 

James Robertson wanted for his people two things, 
which he saw he would never get through the aid of 
North Carolina. One was a real treaty of peace with 
the Indians, and the other was the free navigation of the 
Mississippi River. 

The Spaniards wanted the Tennessee and Kentucky 
settlements entirely destroyed, or they wanted them to 
form new governments, and become part of the Spanish 
empire in America. 

Don Estevan Miro was the Spanish governor at New 
Orleans. Robertson wrote him a very nice letter, and he 
sent Robertson a very pretty reply. A number of letters 
passed between them, in which they did a great deal of 
bowing and smihng and handshaking and passing of com- 
pliments, — all on paper, of course, — and I am afraid 
none of it was sincere. This sort of dickering in fine 



THE TERRITORY lOI 

phrases between politicians is called diplomacy. Each 
tries to get as much and give as little as he possibly can, 
and be so polite and smiling and agreeable about it that it 
shall appear to be just the other way. 

Robertson had the North Carolina Legislature name 
Middle Tennessee **Miro District," and Governor Miro 
declared that he felt himself highly honored, and promised 
to do great things for the Cumberland settlers ; but he did 
very little, as far as the settlers could see. The Indians 
kept killing them, and they were allowed only a very 
restricted use of the Mississippi River. 

Some things that Robertson wrote to Miro have made 
some people believe that he wished the western settlements 
to join the Spanish colonies. No one who has carefully 
studied the life and character of Robertson ought to be- 
lieve this. He was too good a man, too stanch a patriot, 
too great a lover of liberty, to wish himself and family and 
friends to be subjects of the King of Spain. 

While Robertson was using all of his art and skill with 
the Spanish governor, while Bledsoe and Raines and 
Castleman and others were fighting the Indians, while 
men, women, and children were daily being killed within 
sight of their own doors, North Carolina again ceded Ten- 
nessee to the United States government. This cession was 
made in February, 1790, and was accepted by Congress 
in April ; and in May a bill was passed for the govern- 
ment of " The Territory of the United States South of the 
Ohio River." 

WilHam Blount was appointed governor of the newly 
formed territory, and David Campbell judge of the supe- 
rior court. John Sevier was made Brigadier General of 
Washington District, or East Tennessee, and James 
Ro])ertson of Miro District, or Middle Tennessee. 



I02 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



Rogersville was first made the capital of the territory, 
but in a Httle while the seat of government was moved 
to Knoxville. 

The legislature of the territory was composed of a 
legislative council, elected by Congress, and a territorial 

assembly elected by the peo- 
ple of the territory. The 
Legislative Council was com- 
posed of the following five 
members : — 

Griffith Rutherford, President. 
John Sevier. 
James Winchester. 
Stockley Donelson. 
Parmenas Taylor. 

This council made George 
Roulstone their clerk, and 
William Blount Christophcr Shoat their door- 

keeper. 
The Territorial Assembly was as follows : — 




From Washington County, Leroy Taylor and John Tipton. 

From SulHvan County, George Rutlage. 

From Greene County, Joseph Hardin. 

From Davidson County, James White. 

From Sumner County, David Wilson. 

From Hawkins County, William Cocke and Joseph McMinn. 

From Tennessee County, James Ford. 

From Jefferson County, George Doherty and Samuel Wear. 

From Knox County, Alexander Kelly and Jehn Baird. 



David Wilson was elected speaker ; Hopkins Lacy was 
made clerk. The Assembly elected James White as dele- 
gate of the territory to the United States Congress. 



THE TERRITORY lO^ 

This legislature did some good service, — educational, 
military, and political. The first session began on the 
fourth Monday in February, 1794. Before this date the 
laws of the territory had been selected by the governor and 
judges of the courts, from the laws of any of the states. 

In the list of representatives you see the name of James 
Ford from Tennessee County. There is now no such 
county. It was west of Davidson and Sumner counties. 
When the state took the name Tennessee, the county 
was abolished and its territory was divided into the two 
counties of Robertson and Montgomery. 

During Governor Blount's administration two new 
counties, Sevier and Blount, were formed ; the population 
was greatly increased, and the Indian wars were brought 
to an end. The ending of the wars, however, was not due 
to Governor Blount, the Assembly, nor the United States 
Congress, but chiefly to the bold acts of James Robertson 
and the people of the Cumberland settlements. 

When Tennessee became a territory of the United 
States, the President was trying to make a treaty with 
Spain for the free navigation of the Mississippi River. 
This was just what Robertson and his Middle Tennessee 
people wanted. Governor Blount was ordered to allow no 
attack on the Indians, lest the Spaniards might be offended 
and refuse to make the treaty. 

The people waited and waited, but no treaty came. 
Plenty of Indians came, however, and they skulked about 
the settlements, burning houses, stealing horses, and kill- 
ing people until the settlers got out of patience waiting for 
the treaty with Spain. They begged to be allowed to 
attack the Indians, but Governor Blount said, " No, you 
must not; that might upset all the negotiations with 
Spain." 



I04 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

The settlers waited awhile longer and learned that 
Spanish traders were buying American scalps from the 
Indians, in order to get them to kill more white people. 
Then their anger knew no bounds. They threatened to 
kill both Indians and Spaniards in spite of the governor, 
the President, or any one else. Robertson said, ** Be 
patient." And they obeyed Jiim. 

Robertson's brother was killed, then his son was killed ; 
men, women, and little children were murdered almost 
every day. Buchanan's Station was attacked by five or 
six hundred Indians, but was successfully defended by 
fifteen heroic men, with the aid of the brave women, who 
molded bullets and loaded the guns through all that stub- 
born fight. Finally the patience of Robertson and of 
every one else came to an end, and they determined to 
disobey their rulers and give the Creeks and Chickamaugas 
a taste of Sevier's methods with the Cherokees. 

In September, 1794, General Robertson ordered Major 
Ore to destroy the five lower towns of the Chickamauga- 
Cherokees. The most important of these were Nickojack 
and Running Water. They were all on or near Tennessee 
River, below Lookout Mountain, and so secure did the 
Indians consider them that they said not even *' Nolli- 
chucky Jack " could reach them. 

Several years before this time the Indians had killed a 
man named Brown and all of his family except one Httle 
boy. This boy grew up among the Indians of the lower 
towns and knew all about the places. The Indians had 
been forced to exchange him for some prisoners Sevier 
had taken, and Robertson persuaded him to guide Major 
Ore and his five hundred men to the lower towns. 

With Brown as a guide, the soldiers came silently and 
suddenly upon the Indians and so completely surrounded 



THE TERRITORY IO5 

them that very few escaped. The destruction was as 
thorough as if Sevier had done the work. Every Indian 
that was seen, except a few women and children, was 
killed, every wigwam was burned, everything was taken 
away or destroyed. Some Spanish traders were killed, 
and Spanish goods, guns, ammunition, a military commis- 
sion for an Indian chief, and property and scalps of Cum- 
berland people were found in the Indian towns. This is 
called the Nickojack Expedition or Ore's Expedition. 

When the report of this expedition reached the ears of 
the officials, there was a great stir. The Secretary of War 
wrote a severe letter to Governor Blount, and Governor 
Blount wrote a stinging reproof to General Robertson, 
and General Robertson wrote a sharp reply in which he 
said, in effect, that he and the Cumberland people did not 
intend to sit still and be scalped by the Indians while the 
officials were passing compliments with the Spaniards ; 
and if they did not like his way of doing they might get 
some one else to serve as brigadier general. But he was 
too valuable a man to dismiss from office, and here the 
matter ended. The Indian wars in Middle Tennessee also 
ended, except a few raids of little importance, though very 
annoying. 

In 1795 there were found to be more than sixty thousand 
people in the territory. This was a population large 
enough to make a state. A convention was therefore 
called, which met at Knoxville in January, 1796, and 
framed the first constitution of the State of Tennessee. 
Andrew Jackson proposed the name of the state, though 
it had been called the Tennessee country long before this 
time. In June, 1796, President Washington signed the 
act of Congress that made Tennessee the sixteenth state 
of the American Union. 

TENN. HIST. 7 



i06 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Aid of North Carolina to the Cumberland people. 

2. Robertson's two important wants. 

3. What the Spaniards wanted. 

4. Correspondence between Robertson and Miro. 

5. Diplomacy. 

6. Miro District. 

7. Charges against Robertson. 

8. Second cession of Tennessee to the United States. 

9. Organization of the territory. 

10. The territorial legislature. 

11. Tennessee County. 

12. Important events of Governor Blount's administration 

13. The treaty making with Spain. 

14. Effects of waiting for the treaty. 

15. Threats of the settlers. 

16. Buchanan's Station. 

17. The end of the waiting. 

18. The five ''lower towns." 

19. The Nickojack Expedition. 

20. Effect among the officials. 

21. Effect on Indian wars in Middle Tennessee. 

22. How the territory became the State of Tennessee. 



CHAPTER XVI 

DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL LIFE 

Domestic life means the way families live in their own 
homes. The domestic life described in Chapter VI. may 
be taken as a fair picture of that in all early settlements 
in Tennessee. 

Social life means how people of different families that 
live in the same community act in their mingling and inter- 
course with each other. Much of social Hfe belongs to the 
churches and the schools, and much of this chapter will 
be devoted to them. 

Among the pioneers the ties of personal friendship were 
made .very strong by common dangers and common hard- 
ships. Whenever necessary, they would share with one 
another their money, clothes, provisions, ammunition, tools, 
labor, or anything else that they might have. A settler's 
cabin was open, without money and without price, for the 
relief or assistance of any worthy man. If a man had a 
house to build or logs to roll in his newly cleared ground, 
or any other work that was too heavy for one man, he 
invited his neighbors to help him. They always came 
cheerfully and never thought of being paid for their work. 
Indeed, they would have considered the offer of pay as an 
insult. The one who had been helped was expected to 
help others. To fail to invite a worthy neighbor to such 
workings, or to refuse to go when invited, was considered 
an evidence of very bad manners, not far removed from 
downright meanness. 

107 



I08 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

If a man was sick or unable from accident to care for 
his crop, his neighbors assembled and did the work for 
him in a single day, and went home thinking they had 
done only a neighborly act. Selfishness, dishonesty in 
word or act, and cowardice were vices not to be endured 
in a pioneer community. Persons guilty of these were 
promptly driven out of the country. 

There were few disputes or lawsuits, therefore little 
need for lawyers except as counselors on legal forms of 
doing business. The people were hardy and strong, and 
sickness was very rare. Hence there were few if any 
doctors. Young people usually had their social pleasures, 
dancing, games, etc., at night after the labors of the log- 
rollings, house raisings, and quiltings were over. The 
boys and girls did not grow up in total ignorance, but it 
was a hard task for them to get the Uttle education they 
received. Books were few and costly and not at all suit- 
able for children. Teachers were scarce and not very 
expert in their business. About two months of mid- 
summer and about the same length of time in midwinter 
furnished the only school days of the most fortunate. At 
all other times of the year it was necessary for all that 
were old enough, to work at clearing ground, cultivating 
a crop, or making clothing. 

Until the Indian wars were ended there could be no 
schools outside the forts. Teachers and pupils would have 
been butchered and the houses burned in short order. 
After the wars were over, log cabins were built to be used 
as both schoolhouses and churches. In the forts, or outside 
of them, those schools of early days were very different 
from the schools that you attend. Many of the school- 
houses had no floor but the ground. There were no desks, 
blackboards, globes, charts, etc. The seats were long 



DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL LIFE IO9 

benches, without backs, made of hewed logs. The " writ- 
ing bench " was a hewed-log shelf, the proper height for 
writing, extending along the wall usually the entire length 
of the house. The windows were openings, the whole 
length of the house, made by sawing out a log on each 



Interior of a Schoolhouse 



side. There was no glass used, but wooden shutters were 
sometimes provided. 

There were three divisions of the pupils, — the big boys, 
the httle boys, and the girls. The big boys brought their 
axes to school as regularly as their books ; they felled trees 
and cut them into firewood for the use of the school. 
The little boys carried in the wood and made fires ; the 
girls kept the house clean. 

There were no classes or grades as we have them now ; 
each pupil usually stood close beside the master and recited 
alone, except at the spelling hour, when all stood in line 



no SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 



and spelled orally. All studied their lessons aloud, and 
the amazing din this created did not seem to disturb any one. 
The principal books used were Dilworth's Spelle7% Dayball's 
Arithmetic, Pilgriffis Progress, and the Bible. Each pupil 
made his own copybook of foolscap paper and brought his 
own bottle of ink made from oak balls or elder berries. 
The master made all of the pens out of goose quills, and 
wrote all of the copies. 

School opened about seven o'clock in the morning and 
closed about five o'clock in the afternoon. The noon 
recess was from one to two hours. The school was in 
session on Saturday and Sunday just as it was on any other 
day of the week. Time was precious, and there were no 
Sunday schools, and rarely any church services, to attend. 
With all of the disadvantages of their surroundings, 
many of the boys and girls of pioneer days managed to 

get a fairly good education. 
Do you think you would have 
done so.-* 

In 1778 or 1779 Samuel 
Doak, who was educated at 
Princeton College, New Jersey, 
came to Washington County, 
and soon after his arrival 
opened a good school in a log 
cabin on his own farm. This 
is said to have been the first 
real institution of learning in 
the Mississippi Valley. In 
1783 Doak's school was incorporated by the North Carolina 
Legislature as Martin Academy. In 1795 the territorial 
legislature chartered Martin Academy as Washington Col- 
lege, located at Salem, and Doak was made its president. 




Samuel Doak 



DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL LIFE III 

In 1794 Blount College was founded near Knoxville. 
Samuel Carrick was made president of this school, which 
is now the University of Tennessee. This was probably 
the first nonsectarian college chartered in the United 
States. Greene College was founded at Greeneville by 
its first president, Hezekiah Balch, in 1794. In 1785 the 
Legislature of North CaroHna incorporated Davidson 
Academy, near Nashville. Now take your map and 
locate Salem, Greeneville, Knoxville, and Nashville, and 
you will have in mind the only places in Tennessee where 
a liberal or high school education might be obtained when 
the state was admitted to the Union in 1796. 

About the year 1772 Charles Cummins, a Presbyterian 
minister of Abingdon, Virginia, was preaching occasion- 
ally to the Watauga settlers. He was probably the first 
ordained preacher that ever held religious services among 
the white settlers of the state. Long before this date, 
however, priests of the Roman Catholic Church had held 
rehgious services in what is now Tennessee, among the 
French and Spanish explorers and soldiers. 

Tidence Lane, a Baptist minister, was the first known 
regular pastor of a church in Tennessee. His church was 
established at Buffalo Ridge, Washington County, in 1779. 
Samuel Doak, who was a Presbyterian, was preaching at 
various places among the Watauga settlers at about the 
same date. As preacher, teacher, and politician, his influ- 
ence in the state was immense, and its effects are still felt. 

The first Methodist preacher in Tennessee, that we 
know of, was Jeremiah Lambert, who came to the Holston 
Circuit in 1783. Bishop Asbury held the first Methodist 
Conference in Tennessee in 1788. It was held at a private 
house, lasted three days, and the bishop preached every 
day. The three denominations mentioned were the princi 



112 SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE 

pal ones, perhaps the only organized ones, in Tennessee 
when it became a state. The Presbyterians were most 
numerous. 

The Bible, the hymn book, and the catechism came with 
the settler into Tennessee, and were the principal books, 
very often the only ones, in the early log-cabin homes. 
Whether the pioneers were Presbyterians, Baptists, or 
Methodists, those who professed to be religious were 
thoroughly so according to the standards of their day. 
They were men of strong convictions, very independent 
in thought and very decided in action. They had the 
greatest contempt for counterfeits or shams of any kind. 

Churches were few and very rude in structure. The 
log schodlhouses, courthouses, and private dwellings were 
used as places of worship. When it was known that there 
would be preaching at a certain house, nearly all the set- 
tlers within fifteen miles of the place would assemble at 
the appointed hour. The congregation would look very 
strange to-day. The women and girls were clad in home- 
spun dresses, with quilted or slat bonnets on their heads and 
moccasins on their feet. The men and boys wore hunting 
shirts and leather leggings, coon-skin caps, and moccasins; 
and all carried their rifles as if going to war. They never 
knew what moment the Indians might attack them. 
I The congregation was quiet and orderly. There were- 
usually two sermons ; one in the forenoon and one in the 
afternoon, but none at night, unless the services were held 
in a fort. The minister read out the hymns, two lines at 
a time, and the whole congregation sang them from mem- 
ory. Sermons and prayers were usually long, and more 
earnest and forcible than polished or elegant. 

Try to imagine for yourself the appearance of every- 
thing at one of these meetings : the grand, wild forest ; 



DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL LIFE II3 

the rough log walls of the house ; the slab benches with 
no backs ; the dirt floors ; the severely simple and quaint 
service; the strange dress of the people and the preacher; 
the rifles standing around within easy reach ; the sun-burned, 
wind-browned faces ; the stern, resolute expression of coun- 
tenance, that comes from daily contact with danger and 
hardship. When you see all this, remember that those 
broad-shouldered, strong -limbed, stern -faced men and 
women were true in purpose, loving in heart, and heroic 
in soul. They feared God, but nothing else. They went 
to church for His service alone, and their worship was ''in 
spirit and in truth." 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ? 

1. Domestic life. 

2. Social life. 

3. Domestic life described in Chapter VI. 

4. Friendship among the pioneers. 

5. Heavy work. 

6. Bad manners. 

7. Sick or disabled neighbors. 

8. Intolerable vices. 

9. Lawyers and doctors. 

10. Difficulties of getting an education. 

11. A pioneer schoolhouse, pupils, classes, books. 

12. Samuel Doak's school. 

13. Blount College. 

14. Greene College. 

15. Davidson Academy. 

16. The four places to be located on the map. 

17. First religious services in Tennessee. 

18. First regular pastor in Tennessee. 

19. Influence of Samuel Doak. 

20. First of the Methodists. 

21. Religious books and religion among the pioneers 

22. A pioneer meeting. 

23. The imaginary picture and conclusion. 



Period III. 1 796-1861 
THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 



CHAPTER XVII 

STARTING THE NEW GOVERNMENT 

Grown people usually think that boys and girls know 
very little about politics, and that they have very little 
taste for learning the political history of their country. 
This idea may be correct, but I do not believe it, and in 
this chapter will be given, in connection with other things, 
some simple facts of poUtical history. 

The government of the United States, and of each 
state of our country, is intended to be a government of 
public opmion. That is, the laws must be made and exe- 
cuted as the majority of the people wish these things to 
be done. An election is only a regularly established way 
of finding out what public opinion is. 

The officers elected are not the people's masters ; they 
are public servants chosen to carry out the will of the 
people. All of our officers should be treated with the 
greatest respect, and all of our laws should be carefully 
observed. It is a shame for any one in this free govern- 
ment to be disrespectful or disobedient to officers or to 
violate law. We are a free people ; therefore disrespect 
to officials or disregard of law is an insult to the whole 
people. Try to understand this and remember it. 

114 




STARTING THE NEW GOVERNMENT 1 15 

In all free governments there will grow up two or more 
political parties. People of equal patriotism have differ- 
ent opinions about the best way to conduct public affairs. 
Those who hold the same or nearly the same opinions 
will unite to form one political party, while those who 
differ from them will form another party. 
- When the Constitution of the United 
States was formed in 1787, there immedi- 
ately began to be two political parties : 
the Federalists, who thought that very 
great powers should be given to the 
general or federal government; and the 
Anti-Federahsts, or Democratic Republi- 
cans, who thought that more powers 
should be held by the states and fewer Alexander Hamilton 
given to the federal government. 

Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury in 
President Washington's Cabinet, was the leader of the 
FederaHsts ; Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State in 
President Washington's Cabinet, was the leader of the 
Democratic Republicans, or Democrats, as they were 
afterwards called. 

When Tennessee became a state, nearly all of her people 
believed the political doctrines of Thomas Jefferson to be 
the right ones. As nearly all were of the same political 
opinion, there was no party contest for any office and very 
little trouble about electing officers. 

Five members from each of the eleven counties were 
elected to form the constitutional convention. This con- 
vention met at Knoxville, January 11, 1796, and elected 
William Blount chairman; William Maclin secretary; 
John Sevier, Jr., clerk. 

A committee, of two members from each county, was 



Ii6 



THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 



appointed to draw up a bill of rights and a constitution for 
the state. So well did they do the work, according to the 
ideas of that day, that Jefferson said it was the best and 

most republican constitu- 
tion that had been made. 
The fathers of our state 
government had the two 
virtues of economy and in- 
dustry. They charged the 
state ^1.50 a day for their 
services in the convention, 
and 3^ cents a mile for 
traveling expenses ; they 
paid the clerks ^2.50 a 
day, and the doorkeeper 
$2.00 a day ; the entire in- 
cidental expenses were only 
$12.62; and the convention 
returned to the treasury the 
unexpended remainder of 
the money that had been 
The whole session lasted only 




Thomas Jefferson 



set apart for their use 
twenty-seven days. 

As soon as the convention adjourned. Governor Blount 
issued an order for the election of a governor and members 
of the legislature for the new state. The elections were 
held according to this order, and the fi^^st Legislature of 
the State of Tennessee met at Knoxville, tJie first capital of 
the State of Tennessee, March 28, 1796. 

The Senate organized by electing James Winchester 
speaker, Francis A. Ramsey clerk, Nathaniel A. Bucking- 
ham assistant clerk, Thomas Bounds doorkeeper. The 
House of Representatives organized by making James 



STARTING THE NEW GOVERNMENT II7 

Stuart speaker, Thomas H. Williams clerk, John Sevier, 
Jr., assistant clerk, John Rhea doorkeeper. 

When organized, the legislature examined the " election 
returns " and decided that John Sevier was elected gov- 
ernor. He was sworn into office, in presence of both 
houses of the legislature, March 30, 1796, by Judge Joseph 
Anderson. 

The legislature then elected the following officers : 
William Maclin, Secretary of State ; Landon Carter, Treas- 
urer of Washington and Hamilton Districts; William Black, 
Treasurer of Miro District ; John McNairy, Willie Blount, 
and Archibald Roane, Judges of the Superior Court ; Hop- 
kins Lacy, John Lowry, and Howell Tatum, Attorneys for 
the State; Wilham Blount and William Cocke, Senators 
in Congress. As the state was not admitted into the 
Union until June, the senators were reelected in August. 
Andrew Jackson was elected by the people to be repre- 
sentative in Congress. 

Perhaps you wish to know why the people were so 
anxious to have a state government. The territorial gov- 
ernment had been a good one. Governor Blount was an 
able and popular man, and the territory was thriving and 
prosperous under his administration. Why have all these 
conventions and elections .? Why did the people put them- 
selves to the trouble and expense of making a change .-* 

While a territory, Tennessee could take no part in the 
government of the United States, as the people had no 
senators or representatives in Congress. The people were 
bound to obey the laws passed by Congress and to live 
under the government of the President of the United 
States; but, they had no voice in making the laws and no 
vote in electing the President. This was one reason for 
making the change. 



Il8 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

The governor and the judges of the territory were 
appointed by the President, and the Legislative Council 
was elected by Congress. This left the people very little 
share in their local or home government, and did not suit 
their free and independent spirit nor serve their best 
interests. They wished to elect their own governor and 
their own legislature and manage their own home affairs. 
This was another reason for making the change. Thus 
we see that the wish to take part in national affairs and 
to enjoy the benefits of local self-government were the chief 
causes that led the people to form a state government. 

The constitution of the state provided that two years 
should be the term of office for the governor, and that no 
man should be allowed to hold the office for more than 
three terms in succession. Governor Sevier was .elected 
three times without opposition, and was followed, in 1801, 
by Archibald Roane. In 1803 Sevier was again a candi- 
date, but Roane was a candidate against him. 

Sevier's enemies tried to defeat him by telling the 
people that Sevier had been speculating in land warrants 
while he was governor, and tried to make it appear that 
he had forged some of them. John Tipton and Andrew 
Jackson took pait in circulating these reports. In 1798 
Sevier had appointed Jackson a judge of the superior or 
supreme court, the legislature had afterward elected him, 
and he was still holding that office. Sevier denounced 
him very bitterly as being ungrateful and showing himself 
unfit to be a judge. So fierce did the quarrel grow that 
Jackson challenged Sevier to fight a duel, but their friends 
interfered and put an end to the quarrel. 

Tipton got the legislature to investigate the charges 
against Sevier's honesty, but nothing could be proved that 
injured him in the estimation of the people, as they again 



STARTING THE NEW GOVERNMENT II9 

elected him governor for three successive terms and then 
sent him to Congress. 

The treaty of 1795, between the United States and Spain, 
gave the western people a very restricted use of the Mis- 
sissippi River. In 1797 it was charged against William 
Blount in the United States Senate that he had entered 
into a conspiracy to take Louisiana and Florida away from 
Spain and transfer them to England, as he thought Eng- 
land would be a better neighbor than Spain. 

On this charge William Blount was expelled from the 
United States Senate July 8, 1797. A United States offi- 
cer was sent to Knoxville to arrest him and take him to 
Philadelphia to be tried for high crimes. But the whole 
affair was as bad a failure as the attempt to try Sevier for 
treason. Blount would not go ; the officer alone could not 
take him by force, and when he summoned men to help 
him they very politely refused to do so, and told him that 
Blount had done nothing wrong and could not be carried 
out of Tennessee for trial. 

After investigation the United States Senate decided 
that they had no case against Blount. He was immedi- 
ately elected to the state senate and made speaker of that 
body. He died at Knoxville, March 21, 1800, and is 
buried in the churchyard of the First Presbyterian Church. 
Next to Sevier and Robertson he was the most popular 
and beloved man in the state. The people never beheved 
that he intended any wrong in the Louisiana affair. In 
1800 Spain secretly gave the whole of Louisiana back to 
France; and in 1803 President Jefferson bought it from 
France for ^15,000,000, and thus put an end to all trouble 
about the Mississippi River. This purchase also put an 
end to the very small FederaUst party that had existed 
in Tennessee — all went over to Jefferson. 



I20 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

From the organization of the state, in 1796, to the close 
of Sevier's last term there had been but two governors. 
Sevier had served twelve years, Roane had served two. 
The growth and prosperity of the state had been wonderful. 
Treaties had been made with the Indians, farms had been 
cleared, roads opened, bridges made, churches and school- 
houses built, new counties formed, towns laid out and occu- 
pied, stores, shops, and post offices opened ; better buildings 
than pioneer cabins were beginning to appear ; and com- 
merce was beginning to feel the effects of free navigation. 
Lawyers, preachers, and other men of learning were com- 
ing into the country. The population had grown from a 
little more than sixty thousand to two hundred and sixty 
thousand people. Silk dresses, Leghorn bonnets, ruffled 
shirt fronts, and beaver hats might have been seen on the 
streets of Knoxville. When Governor Sevier passed out 
of office, in 1809, Tennessee was a thriving young state 
just entering upon the brilliant career that was opening 
before her, — prosperity in all her wide domain, peace 
within all her borders, and plenty in all her homes. 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1 . The kind of government under which we live. 

2. An election. 

3. Duty of officers. 

4. Duty of the people in a free government. 

5. Cause of political parties. 

6. Two parties that began in 1787. 

7. Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. 

8. Political opinions and elections in Tennessee in 1796. 

9. The constitutional convention. Place, date, number cf members. 

10. The committee and their work. 

1 1 . Evidences of economy and industry. 

12. First legislature and first capital of the state. 



STARTING THE NEW GOVERNMENT 121 

13. First senators and first representative in Congress. 

14. Why the people wished to have a state government. 

15. First and second governors. How long did each serve ? 

16. Charges against Sevier in 1803. 

17. Quarrel between Sevier and Jackson. 

18. The Tipton investigation and its result. 

19. The expulsion of William Blount from the United States Senate. 

20. The attempt to arrest and try him. 

21. Close of Blount's career. 

22. End of the Mississippi River troubles. 

23. General condition of the state in 1809. 



TENN. HIST.' 



CHAPTER XVIII 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIE BLOUNT 



In 1809 Willie Blount, a brother of Senator William 
Blount, was elected governor; he served three successive 
terms, closing his last administration in 181 5. He was not 

a great or brilliant man like 
Sevier, nor was he the equal 
of his brother William. He 
was an honest, patriotic, sen- 
sible man ; he was a firm 
friend of Andrew Jackson, 
was popular with all parties, 
and made a good governor. 

The first three years of 
Blount's time in office were 
similar to the last years of 
Sevier's administrations. The 
people were busy with all 
the occupations of a new and 
growing state. They had open markets, free trade, and 
rich land. They raised fine stock and big crops ; bought 
and sold goods and land, and worked and played very 
much as you see people doing now. 

One thing occurred during this administration that 
slightly changed the physical geography of the western 
part of the state. 

In 18 II earthquakes were felt in the country near 
the Mississippi River, from the mouth of the Ohio to 

122 




Willie Blount 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIE BLOUNT 1 23 

Vicksburg. In West Tennessee the shocks were very 
severe. Great cracks were opened in the ground, some 
of them ten miles long, as wide as an ordinary street or 
public road, and deep enough to bury a two-story house 
in. Every season has partly filled them with leaves, 
brush, etc., but traces of many of them may still be seen 
in the counties of Lake, Obion, Dyer, and Lauderdale. 

The mouth of the Reelfoot River was lifted up, and for 
miles along its course the land sank down far below the 
country around it. The sunken places were afterward 
filled with water, and thus was formed the famous Reel- 
foot Lake, from which Lake County takes its name. No 
white people had homes in West Tennessee at that time, 
but a few white hunters and traders were in the country. 
Slight earthquakes have occasionally been felt in the same 
region ever since then. 

About the time that Tennessee became a state. Napo- 
leon Bonaparte was rising into power in France. In 
1799 he made himself ruler of his country, and until 181 5 
he kept all Europe in a tumult of war. He conquered 
all the nations of central and western Europe, except Eng- 
land, but England held the mastery of the seas, and was 
determined to hold it at any cost. To do this it was 
necessary to have a great many seamen. 

The war was so long, and so many sailors were killed 
in the great sea fights, that the British government was 
obliged to impress men, or force them to go into the navy. 
Next, it claimed the right to search the ships of other 
countries to see if they had on board any British sailors 
that might be forced into the British Navy. The United 
States declared that England should not search American 
ships. England declared that she would do it, and she 
did search many of them. This, with some other disputes, 



124 



THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 



finally brought on what is called the 
Second War with Great Britain. 
As soon as war was declared, in 




impressing Seamen 



Jackson replied that some of his 
and the well ones not able to pay 



War of 1 8 12, or the 

June, i8i2, the Ten- 
nesseeans volun- 
teered as soldiers 
in great numbers. 
General Andrew 
Jackson was placed 
in command of 
them, and they 
started to New Or- 
leans to defend that 
city and the south- 
ern country against 
the British. They 
stopped at Natchez, 
however, as it was 
learned that the 
British were not on 
their way to New 
Orleans. 

In January, 1813, 
General Jackson re- 
ceived orders from 
the Secretary of 
War to discharge 
his soldiers and turn 
over all his wagons, 
provisions, etc., to 
General Wilkinson 
of the regular army, 
soldiers were sick, 
their own expenses 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIE BLOUNT 



125 



back home, and that he would not discharge them at 
Natchez. 

This was a very bold stand for a volunteer army officer 
to take, but it showed Jackson's courage and his love for 
his soldiers. He put his sick men into the wagons and 
marched his troops back to Tennessee, and then dis- 
charged them. When Congress met, the members said 
Jackson had done right, and they voted the money neces- 
sary to pay the expenses of bringing the soldiers home. 

Tecumseh was a famous chief of the Shawnee Indians, 
who lived in the Northwest Territory. When the United 
States and Great Britain 
went to war, in 1812, 
Tecumseh tried to unite 
all the Indians against 
the Americans. He and 
his brother, the Prophet, 
visited the Chickasaws, 
Choctaws, and Creeks, 
and got William Weath- 
ersf ord, a half-breed 
Creek, chief, and most of 
the Creek Indians to 
unite with them. The 
Chickasaws and Choc- 
taws would have nothing 
to do with the plot. 

In August, 181 3, the 
Creeks captured Fort 
Mimms, near Mobile, and butchered men, women, and 
children, though they had surrendered under promise of 
protection. Some of these people were Tennesseeans, 
and at once the Creek War became a Tennessee war. 




Tecumseh addressing the Indians 



126 THE STATE BEFORE THE QVIL WAR 

The men of Tennessee volunteered to fight both Indians 
and British, and called for General Andrew Jackson to 
lead them. 

In the early years of our state there existed a very fool- 
ish custom of fighting duels to settle difficulties. Jesse 
Benton and William Carroll had fought a duel in which 
Jackson had acted as Carroll's second. When Jesse Ben- 
ton's brother, Thomas H. Benton, heard of this, he said a 
great many ugly things about Jackson. Jackson threat- 
ened to horsewhip him as soon as they met. But that was 
a rash promise, as Benton was very much the same kind 
of man as Jackson. They met in Nashville and had a 
desperate fight in which Jackson was badly wounded. He 
was in bed from the effects of this wound when he was 
called to take command in the Creek War. 

Jackson's heroic soul did not hesitate a moment. The 
soldiers were enlisted, General John Coffee was sent with 
the cavalry to Huntsville, and the remainder of the army 
assembled at Fayetteville, where Jackson took command. 
Hearing that Weathersford and his hostile Creeks were 
moving toward Tennessee to attack some friendly Indians, 
Jackson pushed forward into Alabama to protect the 
friendly Indians. 

The war raged over North Alabama, with Jackson suc- 
cessful in all the battles though he was many times almost 
ruined by lack of supplies, failure of General Cocke to aid 
him at the right time, and mutinies among his hungry 
soldiers. It is said that a soldier one day complained to 
the general that he had not had enough to eat in several 
days. " Neither have I," said the general, " but I will 
divide what I have with my soldiers," and pulling a 
handful of acorns out of his pocket he offered them 
to the soldier. The man told his comrades, and they 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIE BLOUNT 1 27 

decided that if the general could live on acorns they 
could too. 

Governor Blount came to Jackson's rescue when lazy or 
rascally contractors were allowing him and his army to 
suffer. The governor, upon his own responsibility, fur- 
nished nearly ^400,000 to buy provisions and ammunition 
for the army. The money was afterward repaid from 
the public treasury. 

After the Creeks had been defeated many times they 
gathered in nearly full strength at a bend of the Talla- 
poosa River called Tohopeka, or the Horseshoe. They 
built a strong breastwork of logs across the narrow part 
of the bend, and considered their camp safe against all 
attack. 

The country between the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers 
was called the " Hickory Ground." The Indians' prophets 
had taught the Indians that this country could not be con- 
quered by the white man. Jackson cut a road through 
the Hickory Ground to Tohopeka, and captured the place 
after a desperate battle, in which 
seven hundred Creek warriors were 
killed and three hundred women and 
children were captured. This was in 
March, 18 14, and afterward Jackson 
was called " Old Hickory." 

This battle ended the Creek War 
and destroyed the power of the Creek 
nation. Weathersford surrendered 
and lived peaceably in Alabama the ' ' ^"^ ' 

. -, r ■, . -.•r ,/r r 1 Weathersford 

remamder of his hfe. Most of the 

Creeks were moved to the Indian Territory in 1836, and 
the remainder of them joined the Seminoles in Florida. 
We shall hear no more of the Creek Indians, as a tribe, in 




128 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

this history. Like most other Indian tribes they were 
much abused and sadly wronged. British and Spanish 
emissaries were continually getting them into war with the 
Americans, who in self-defense were obliged to kill them 
or drive them from their lands. 

In the spring of 1814 Jackson was made a major gen- 
eral in the United States Army and was given command 
of the southern country. In August Colonel Nicholls, of 
the British Army, made his headquarters at Pensacola and 
tried to excite the Indians and the people of Louisiana 
against the United States. 

General Jackson wrote the Spanish Governor of Florida 
that he must not allow the British to come into his terri- 
tory to make war on the United States. The governor 
paid no attention to this letter, and in November, 18 14, 
Jackson marched his army into Florida and captured and 
destroyed Pensacola and took possession of Mobile. He 
then notified the Spanish authorities that he would treat 
them all as enemies if they allowed any more harboring of 
British in their territory. 

From Pensacola Jackson moved to New Orleans, which 
the British threatened to attack. Here on January 8, 181 5, 
he fought one of the most remarkable battles recorded in 
history. With an army of volunteers, inferior in numbers 
and arms, he totally defeated an army of Wellington's 
veteran soldiers, inflicting a loss of nearly three thousand 
men, while the Americans lost only twenty-seven. 

The battle of New Orleans was unnecessary, as peace 
had been made between the United States and Great Brit- 
ain, by their agents in Europe, December 24, 18 14. Does 
it not seem strange that no one at New Orleans knew any- 
thing of this on January 8, 181 5 ? If a treaty were made 
in Europe to-day, it would be known in New Orleans the 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIE BLOUNT 



129 



same day that the papers were signed. Can you explain 
this great difference ? 

The war with the Indians and the British, and espe- 
cially the battle of New 
Orleans, made Andrew 
Jackson one of the great 
men of the United 
States. John Coffee, 
WilHam Carroll, William 
Hall, and Sam Houston 
had also won fame in 
the wars, and Tennessee 
had become the " Volun- 
teer State " of the Amer- 
ican Union. 

Governor Willie 
Blount's administration 
closed with the people 
glad and thankful for 
the return of peace, and 
state in war. 




Battle of New Orleans 



proud of the fame of their 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Successor of Governor Sevier. Character. 

2. First three years of WiUie Blount's time in office. 

3. Earthquakes of 181 1. Reelfoot Lake. 

4. Napoleon Bonaparte and Great Britain. 

5. Impressing seamen. 

6. " Right of Search." 

7. Warofi8i2. Other name. 

8. Tennessee volunteers and their first expedition. 

9. "The mustering out." 
ID. Tecumseh's plans. 

11. Fort Mimms massacre. 

12. Effect in Tennessee. 



I30 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

13. Duel between Carroll and Jesse Benton. 

14. Jackson and Thomas H. Benton. 

15. Campaign against the Creeks. 

16. Jackson's troubles in the war. 

17. Governor Blount's aid. 

18. Battle of the Horseshoe. 

19. Result to the Creek Indians. 

20. Jackson, Nicholls, and the Spanish governor. 

21. Pensacola and Mobile. 

22. Battle of New Orleans. 

23. News in 181 5 and at the present time. 

24. Effect of the wars on Jackson and on Tennessee 

25. Other famous Tennessee soldiers. 



CHAPTER XIX 

ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOSEPH McMINN, 1815-1821 

Joseph McMinn was elected Governor of Tennessee at 
the close of Willie Blount's third term in 181 5. Governor 
McMinn was a native of Pennsylvania, and had been a 
soldier in the Revolutionary War. After the close of the 
war he came to Tennessee and settled in Hawkins County. 
He was a plain farmer, and had been a member of the 
Tennessee Legislature, and speaker of the Senate in 1807. 

McMinn seems to have been a good, honest man ; more 
of a poHtician than a statesman, and not very much of 
either. His honesty, industry, and tact gave him the con- 
fidence of the people, but he had not the ability to deal with 
some of the troublesome questions that came up during 
his administrations. 

A bank, properly managed, always makes money for its 
owners and is a great convenience to the people in trans- 
acting their business. But if the management is bad, or 
the officers dishonest, a bank may do a great deal of mis- 
chief. From 1807 to 1865 the State of Tennessee made 
many experiments in the banking business. The legisla- 
tures that passed the various banking laws seem to have 
thought, either that the state could make money by these 
schemes and thus save the people from paying taxes to 
support their state government, or that the state banks 
could lend the people money on better terms than other 
banks would lend it, and thus make business more active 
in the state. 

131 



132 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

From bad management, or political contrariness, or the 
dishonesty of bank officers, or some great misfortune, like 
the Civil War, most of the banking plans turned out 
badly, and the state lost money and got into debt by these 
ventures. 

Governor McMinn favored some of the worst of these 
banking laws. He did not do this because he was dis- 
honest or intended to do wrong, but because he was not 
statesman enough to see the bad effects that would follow 
the bad laws. A majority of the members of the legisla- 
tures that passed these acts were equally honest and 
patriotic ; they intended no wrong, they simply made 
mistakes. 

A complete history of the connection of the state with 
banks would make this book a very large one, and the 
girls and boys of Tennessee would find that part of it very 
dry reading. In fact, I believe they would not read it at 
all, and what they would be able to learn from it would 
be of very little use to them if they did read it ; therefore 
I shall not write it. When necessary, I shall refer to the 
banks and banking acts under the different administra- 
tions, as many governors besides McMinn had to deal with 
them. That is all that this book will have to say about 
banks. 

While McMinn was governor, the Seminole Indians in 
Florida were joined by some of the Creeks who had not 
surrendered after the battle of the Horseshoe. White 
outlaws and negroes also joined them, and the whole band 
of ruffians and savages began stealiiig, robbing, and mur- 
dering along the borders of Alabama and Georgia. This 
was in 1818. 

Florida still belonged to Spain. President Monroe tried 
to get the Spanish governor to stop the mischief, but noth- 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOSEPH McMINN, 1815-1821 1 33 

ing was done. He then told General Jackson to stop it. 
Jackson gathered some Tennessee troops, got some more 
from Georgia and Alabama, and marched into Florida. 
He captured and killed all the outlaws he could find, and 
burned the Indian towns. He also took the Spanish 
towns of St. Marks and Pensacola, and drove the Spanish 
governor out of the country. 

Among the prisoners were two British subjects, Arbuth- 
not and Ambrister. Jackson had Arbuthnot hung and 
Ambrister shot because they had been furnishing guns 
and ammunition to the Indians, buying stolen goods from 
them, and encouraging them to keep up their robberies 
and murders. 

This trouble came near causing a war between Spain 
and the United States, but the next year President Monroe 
bought Florida from Spain, and all further trouble was 
avoided. 

To avoid any possible trouble with the friendly Chicka- 
saw Indians, General Jackson and General Shelby were 
directed, as soon as Jackson had ended the Seminole dif- 
ficulties in 18 1 8, to buy all of the Chickasaws' land east 
of the Mississippi and north of the thirty-fifth parallel of 
north latitude. This land consisted of West Tennessee and 
Western Kentucky. 

The most important event within the six years that 
McMinn was governor was the early settlement of West 
Tennessee. This settlement was unlike that of East 
Tennessee and Middle Tennessee ; for in West Tennessee 
the ax and the plow had far more to do with the advance 
of civilization than did the rifle and the tomahawk. There 
were no wars connected with it. 

Remember that all of Tennessee lying between the 
Tennessee and Mississippi rivers was the hunting ground 



134 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

of the Chickasaw Indians, and that these Indians had 
always been friendly with the English-speaking white 
people. The whole of West Tennessee was bought from 
these Indians in 1818, and opened for settlement in 18 19. 

Now spend a few minutes studying the map of West 
Tennessee. Note the course of the Tennessee River, and' 
of the Big Sandy, which flows into it. Look at the Mis- 
sissippi River and its tributaries, the Obion, the Forked 
Deer, the Big Hatchie, and the Wolf. Imagine the con- 
dition of the country as it was in 1818, with not a county 
laid out, not a town or a railroad, not even a settlement of 
white people nor a wagon road of any kind ; nothing but 
forests of giant trees and dense canebrakes covering the 
whole land. No Indians lived in the country except at the 
Chickasaw Bluffs, on the Mississippi River. It was a vast 
hunting ground that the Indians had sold to the white 
people, and was just opened for settlement. 

Now suppose some people at Nashville, some at Knox- 
ville, and some at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in the year 18 19, 
that wished to move into West Tennessee ; how would they 
go there ? The Knoxville people could float their flatboats 
down the Tennessee River until they came to what is now 
Hardin County, or down to the mouth of Big Sandy, and 
up that river into what is now Henry County, or might 
stop anywhere between these counties, or might go 
farther on. The Nashville people could float down the 
Cumberland River into the Ohio, and join the Pittsburg 
emigrants, and all go down the Ohio into the Mississippi. 
They might stop anywhere between what is now Tipton- 
ville, in Lake County, and the bluff where Memphis now 
stands, or they might go up the Obion River, or the 
Forked Deer, or the Big Hatchie, or the Wolf. 

What we have supposed on this subject is exactly what 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOSEPH McMINN, 1815-1821 1 35 

occurred. The first settlements were made along the 
rivers, and the early settlers lived very much as the pio- 
neers of East and Middle Tennessee had done, except 
that they built no forts and had no Indian wars. As the 
people could give all of their attention to the pursuits of 
peace, they quickly opened roads, made bridges and ferries, 




Flatboat 

and got into direct communication with Middle Tennessee 
and Kentucky. 

The country was settled rapidly, and between 18 19 and 
1824 there were organized in West Tennessee the counties 
of Obion, Weakley, Henry, Dyer, Gibson, Carroll, Tipton, 
Haywood, Madison, Henderson, Shelby, Fayette, Harde- 
man, McNairy, and Hardin. These are the older coun- 
ties of the western division of the state, all the others 
having been formed by cutting off parts of these. No 
other section of the great Southwest had ever grown so 



136 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

rapidly in population and wealth. See if you can tell why 
this was so. 

Which is the oldest settlement in West Tennessee is a 
disputed question. The temporary homes of hunters and 
traders have been called settlements, and actual settlements 
have been called camps, until the subject is very much 
confused. Perhaps Memphis is as old as any of them. 
It is certain that white people were permanently settled 
there in 1820, and perhaps a little earlier, and there could 
have been no legal settlement anywhere in West Tennes- 
see before 18 19. 

The counties and towns of our state have usually been 
named in honor of some distinguished man ; as Monroe 
County for President Monroe, Robertson Country for Gen- 
eral James Robertson, McNairy County for Judge McNairy, 
Knoxville for General Knox, Nashville for Colonel Nash, 
Jackson for President Andrew Jackson. If you study 
over the names, you will lind this to be the general rule, 
but Memphis is one of the exceptions. 

There are two great rivers of the world that you will 
find very much aUke in some respects, though very differ- 
ent in others. They are the Nile in Africa and the Mis- 
sissippi in North America. Each rises in a region of lakes 
and flows through a valley famed for its fertile lands and 
abundant crops. Each empties into the sea by a " delta 
mouth " ; that is, the mouth of each river is divided into 
several branches. 

Long, long before the Christian era, before the days 
when Abraham went down into Egypt, there stood, on the 
banks of the Nile, a famous city called Memphis. It was 
the great commercial center of the valley of the Nile in 
the long, long ago. The people who settled on the Chick- 
asaw Bluffs wished their new town to become the great 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOSEPH McMINN, 1815-1821 1 37 

commercial city of the valley of the Mississippi, and they 
named it Memphis. 

The spot upon which Memphis stands is historic ground, 
and it is most probably the part of Tennessee that was 
first known to white men. About it cluster memories 
of the visionary ambition of De Soto; the patience and 
devotion of Marquette ; the heroic enterprise of La Salle ; 
Louis XIV. and the Crozat grant; the disastrous battles 
of the French with the Chickasaws ; the intrigues of Miro, 
Carondelet, and Gayoso ; the forts Prudhomme, Assump- 
tion, Barancas, and Pickering; the daring schemes of 
Aaron Burr ; the long struggle with Randolph for com- 
mercial supremacy ; the grotesque titles of " Pinch " and 
** Sodom " ; and the wise foresight and prudence of John 
Overton. 

If the long line of Frenchmen, Spaniards, and English 
men ; of soldiers, priests, and adventurers ; of Indians, 
hunters, and traders ; of early settlers, land surveyors, and 
flatboat men, could rise from their graves and tell us all 
that happened on that bluff from 1541 to 1821, it would 
make a story of far more wild and romantic interest than 
any tale of the Arabian Nights. 

The voices of these men are silent, and all of the story 
can never be told, but I will give you a list of books frorc 
which you can learn a great deal of it. When you have 
time or opportunity to do so read Ramsey's Amtais of Ten- 
nessee, Phelan's Larger History of Tennessee, Perkins's 
Annals of the West, Monette's History of the Mississippi 
Valley, Roosevelt's Winfiing of the West, Keating's His- 
tory of Memphis, and a good history of the United States. 

Memphis was never the center of settlement for West 
Tennessee as Nashville had been for Middle Tennessee. 
There was no necessity for such a center. The whole 

XENN. HIST. — 9 



38 



THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 



country was peaceable and might be settled anywhere. 
The greatest danger was from bears, panthers, wolves, 
and wildcats, and the greatest mischief they did was to 
kill the settlers' pigs, calves, and colts. To kill out these 
troublesome beasts of prey the Chickasaw Indians were 
encouraged to hunt over the country after many white set- 
tlements had been made. 




The Donkey and the Hunters 

General Tipton, for whom Tipton County was named, 
was raising good farm stock on the south side of Hatchie 
River. He had several fine donkeys and hired out one of 
these, named " Moses," to a Mr. Barnes on the north side 
of Hatchie. Moses got away from Barnes and started 
home. In Hatchie bottom he was killed by some Chicka- 
saw hunters, who thought he was a new kind of wild beast. 
They sold his hide to a trader, and Barnes found it on 
a trading boat in Hatchie River. He called up the 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOSEPH McMINN, 1815-1821 1 39 

Indians and explained to them that the animal belonged 
to General Tipton and was worth $500. The Indians 
brought up their horses, appointed three white men and 
two Indians to value them, and gave Barnes enough of 
them to pay for Moses. 

From the early settlement to the Civil War the growth 
of West Tennessee was rapid and prosperous, with no very 
striking or tragic events in its history. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ? 

1. Dates of Governor McMinn's administrations. 

2. Character and public services of Joseph McMinn. 

3. Advantages of a well-managed bank. 

4. Ideas of Tennessee legislators about banks. 

5. Mistakes of the governor and legislature. 

6. History of Tennessee banks. 

7. Outrages in Georgia and Alabama. 

8. Government of Florida in 1818. 

9. Jackson^s method of stopping the trouble. 

10. Execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister. 

11. Purchase from the Chickasaws. 

12. Most important event while McMinn was governor. 

13. Compare first settlements in West Tennessee with those of East 

and Middle Tennessee. 

14. Natural ways of travel in West Tennessee. 

15. How the country was acquired and why it grew so rapidly. 

16. Counties organized from 18 19 to 1824. 

17. Oldest settlement in West Tennessee. 

18. Names of our counties and towns. 

19. The Nile and the Mississippi. 

20. Ancient and modern Memphis. 

21. Historic events connected with Memphis. 

22. Books of reference. 

23. Why Memphis was not a center of settlement. 

24. Encouragement to Chickasaw hunters, 

25. Story showing their honesty. 



CHAPTER XX 

CARROLL, HOUSTON, AND HALL, 1821-1835 

Up to 1 82 1 the four governors who had served the state 
had been elected for their personal worth, without regard 
to questions of public policy or, as we call it, politics. 
There was a change in 1821. The prominent candidates 
for governor then were Edward Ward and William 
Carroll. 

Ward was a Virginia gentleman of learning and wealth, 
but of manners and habits not suited to the plain ways of 
a new state. He had aristocratic notions of government 
and society, and was accused of having been a Federalist 
in Virginia, and of having changed his politics after he 
came to Tennessee for the purpose of getting votes. 
These things made him unpopular. 

WilUam Carroll was a native of Pennsylvania, and had 
come to Nashville as a hardware merchant when quite a 
young man. He was a successful business man, fond of 
military life, and had been one of Jackson's bravest and 
best officers in the Creek Wan He was plain and sincere 
in manners, social in disposition, and especially popular 
with his old soldiers. 

The constitution of 1796 made taxes upon large land 
owners lighter, proportionally, than upon small ones. 
Under this constitution also the legislature elected all of 
the judges of courts and justices of the peace to hold offir^ 

140 



CARROLL, HOUSTON, AND HALL, 1 821- 1835 I4I 

for life if they behaved well. The county courts elected 
the coroners, sheriffs, trustees, etc., for the counties. 
This left the people to elect only the governor and mem- 
bers of the legislature. 

Carroll advocated a change of the constitution to reform 
these and many other affairs in the government of the 
state. Ward wished the constitution and government of 
the state to remain as they were. This was the chief issue 
between the two candidates. With this canvass began the 
prominent parts that newspapers have since taken in the 
elections of the state. Before that date the papers pub- 
lished the news as they found it and said little about can- 
didates. 

The canvass was quite warm and exciting, and many 
ridiculous and amusing things were said and done on both 
sides. The great mass of the people supported Carroll, 
and he received more than three times as many votes as 
Ward. Carroll was governor for three successive terms, 
or until 1827, when Sam Houston and William Hall filled 
the office for two years. After this Carroll was again 
elected three times in succession. That is, Carroll was 
governor from 1821 to 1835, except the two years from 
1827 to 1829. John Sevier and William Carroll are the 
only men who have ever held the office of Governor of 
Tennessee for twelve years. 

As the administration of Houston and Hall has no 
marked or special features, these men will be considered 
here, and the long term of Carroll will be treated in an- 
other chapter. 

Sam Houston was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, 
in 1793, and came to Tennessee in 1806. Hard work and 
little schooling was the lot of his boyhood. When a large 
boy he joined a band of Cherokee Indians and lived among 



142 



THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 




them nearly two years. He then joined the army and 
made himself famous at the battle of the Horseshoe. 
After peace was made he studied law and was elected 
district attorney at Nashville. In 1823, and again in 

1825, he was elected to 
Congress. In 1827 he 
succeeded William Carroll 
as governor. In January, 
1829, he married Miss 
Eliza Allen of Sumner 
County. About the first 
of April she left him and 
returned to her father's 
house. Neither of them 
ever accused the other of 
anything wrong, or ever of- 
fered a word of explanation 
of this strange conduct. 
Immediately after the separation from his wife, Houston 
resigned the governorship and went to the Indian Terri- 
tory, where he lived for some time with his old friends, 
the Cherokees. From there he went to Texas and became 
the leader of the Texans in their war with Mexico. He 
was commander of the Texan army in the famous battle 
of San Jacinto which won the independence of Texas 
He was made president of the new republic, and after it 
was annexed to the United States he was senator in Con- 
gress, and afterward governor of the state. He reared 
in Texas a family of two sons and four daughters, having 
married Miss Margaret Lea, from Marion, Alabama. He 
died in 1863. 

When Houston resigned the governorship, William Hall 
was speaker of the state Senate. By the provisions of the 



Sam Houston 



CARROLL, HOUSTON, AND HALL, 1 821-1835 



43 



constitution he became governor, and served from April, 
1829, till October, when Carroll succeeded him. 

William Hall was born in Virginia and came to Sumner 
County, Tennessee, in his 
youth. He had become 
sheriff of his county, and a 
brigadier general in the 
Creek War, and was a de- 
voted friend of Andrew 
Jackson and William Car- 
roll. As speaker of the 
Senate he had shown him- 
self an able and capable 
officer. His term as gov- 
ernor was only about six 
months, and was too short 
for the display of any great 
statesmanship. 

The Houston-Hall administration contented itself with 
maintaining, as nearly as possible, the policy of Carroll, 
which was perhaps the best it could have done. It was 
remarkable for nothing except the sudden and dramatic 
resignation of Houston, and the consequent display of van- 
ity and sensitiveness in the character of a really great man. 




William Hall 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

Political questions before 182 1. 
Sketch of Edward Ward. 
Sketch of William Carroll. 
Provisions of the constitution of 1796. 
The issue between the two candidates. 
The newspapers. 
The canvass 



[44 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

8. Result of the election. 

9. Length of Carroirs governorship. 

10. Successor of Carroll in 1827. 

11. Sketch of Sam Houston in Tennessee. 

12. After he left Tennessee. 

13. What is meant by "speaker of the Senate" ? 

14. When does he become governor of the state ? 

15. Sketch of William Hall. 

16. Noted events of the Houston-Hall administration 



CHAPTER XXI 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIAM CARROLL, 1821-1835 



Among the first acts of Governor Carroll was the giving 
of some good advice to the people of the state. He told 
them that stay laws and replevin acts and loan offices and 
state banks, and all the other 
fine things that politicians and 
office seekers had been talking 
about so nicely, could never put 
any wisdom into their heads nor 
any money into their pockets ; 
that if they wished to be wise 
men they must use their own 
common sense and think and 
study about how to manage 
their own affairs ; that if they 
wished to improve their for- 
tunes it could be done by work- 
ing more and talking less about 
hard times ; by spending less money for foreign goods and 
saving what they made ; by paying their debts and attend- 
ing to their own business, instead of waiting for luck or 
Providence or office holders to attend to it for them. 

I suspect that this would be very good advice for people 
of the present day ; even for girls and boys in school, who 
are sometimes tempted to grumble about hard lessons and 
trust to luck or their teachers or some one else to help 
them, when they should go resolutely to work and help 

HS 




William Carroll 



146 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

themselves. But of course none of the girls and boys who 
read this book ever act that way, and if you should see 
any that do, you may just read- them Governor Carroll's 
advice. 

The governor knew that if he could get the people to 
think and act as he advised, there would soon be money in 
the treasury to make the improvements in roads, buildings, 
etc., that the state needed very much ; and that he would 
be able to secure changes in the government that would be 
of real value to the whole people. 

The following were the principal things that Governor 
Carroll earnestly advocated : — 

1. A change in the constitution that would improve the 
methods of laying taxes and electing officers, and that 
would avoid conflicts between the different courts. 

2. A good system of internal improvements. 

3. A state penitentiary. 

4. A hospital for insane people. 

5. A state capitol. 

These were not the only measures that Governor Carroll 
advocated, but they were the principal ones, and he secured 
all of them except the building of the capitol. That was 
not begun until 1845. 

In Chapter XX. the election of officers by the legisla- 
ture and the county courts has been explained. The con- 
stitution of 1 796 did not establish any courts, but provided 
that the legislature might estabhsh superior and inferior 
courts of law and equity. The legislature established 
county, circuit, chancery, and supreme courts ; but failed 
to specify the exact duties or jurisdiction of each court. 

Under this system a man might bring a suit before a 
justice of the peace, and appeal to the county court, and 
then the other party might take it out of the county 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIAM CARROLL, 1821-1835 1 47 

court to the circuit court, and then appeal to the supreme 
court. Before it could be decided there, the lawyers of 
either side might file a bill in equity and take the case out 
of the supreme court and have it all tried over again in 
the chancery court, and then appeal again, and so on. 
The poor men who had started the suit would then begin 
to wish they ^had never heard of it, and their neighbors 
who were witnesses wished it more heartily still, and often 
said so in very emphatic language. The witness fees, 
clerks' fees, lawyers' fees, and court costs in a five-dollar 
suit would sometimes amount to $500 or more. 

Governor Carroll said that the constitution ought to be 
changed so as to allow the people to elect their own 
officers to serve for a specified term ; and that it should 
establish courts and regulate or limit their jurisdiction. 
In 1834 he succeeded in having a convention held which 
made a new constitution that reformed these and many 
other features of the state government. 

Nearly all of the governors from Sevier to Carroll had 
asked the legislatures to vote money for '' internal improve- 
ments." Internal improvements mean just about this : 
to hire men to pull logs, brush, and other obstructions 
out of the smaller rivers so that boats could sail freely in 
them ; to open and grade wagon roads and bridge the 
streams between the different towns and counties ; and 
to do whatever else might be needed to make traveling 
over the state, carrying crops to market, and bringing 
goods from market, easier and cheaper for the people. 

Governor Carroll got larger appropriations for these 
purposes than other governors had received, and made 
very great improvements, especially in the smaller rivers. 
Later in the history of the state " internal improvements " 
included macadamized roads and railroads, but there was 



148 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

not a railroad built in the state until 185 1, when the Nash- 
ville and Chattanooga began to run the first train of cars 
in Tennessee. 

Long ago the punishments for violations of the law were 
often cruel and brutal. The offender was branded with 
a red-hot iron, or was whipped until the blood ran down 
to his heels, or his hands and neck and feet were made 
fast in the stocks and kept there until he fainted from the 
summer heat, or was frost-bitten by the cold of winter. 

Very often the juries would not convict a man that was 
guilty, because they knew the punishment would be greater 
than was deserved. This had a bad effect. Lawbreakers 
became more numerous, and Governor Carroll recom- 
mended that many punishments be changed to hard labor 
in the county workhouses and the penitentiary. His 
recommendation was followed, and in 1831 the peniten- 
tiary was established where lawless characters are locked 
up for a term of years, sometimes for life, and are made 
to work ^very day at some useful employment. 

Another great event in the history of this administra- 
tion was the founding at Nashville, in 1832, of a hospital 
for the insane. Before that date the unfortunate people 
who had lost their reason had to be kept in the county 
jails, or taken care of by their friends at great trouble and 
expense, and usually without proper arrangements for 
their comfort or safety. From the small beginning at 
Nashville in 1832, the state has enlarged this grand charity 
to three fine asylums : one near Nashville, built in 1849 ; one 
near Knoxville, built in 1883 ; and one near Bolivar, built in 
1887. When people spend their money for the relief of the 
suffering and unfortunate, it shows that they are becoming 
a kinder and better people, and the beginning of such 
charities is an important event in the history of a state. 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF WILLIAM CARROLL, 1 821-1835 1 49 

You must not think that Governor Carroll alone accom- 
plished all the reforms mentioned in this chapter, or that 
all that he did has been mentioned. He did many other 
good things and many good people helped him, but he 
was the leading spirit. When he believed a measure to 
be right he never cared whether it was popular or not ; 
he kept urging it until he convinced the people and the 
legislature that it ought to be carried out. With the 
possible exception of John Sevier no other governor of 
Tennessee ever exercised as commanding an influence 
over the people and the legislature, and Carroll's adminis- 
trations mark in the history of the state an epoch that 
was almost revolutionary in results. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Governor CarrolPs good advice. 

2. Application to girls and boys. 

3. Probable result to the state of following the governor's advice, 

4. Five principal measures advocated. 

5. Were these five all .'* 

6. Reference to Chapter XX. 

7. Courts under the Constitution of 1796. 

8. A small lavv^suit under this old system. 

9. Constitutional convention of 1834. 
ID. Explain " internal improvements.'" 

1 1 . First railroad in Tennessee. 

12. Legal punishment in the olden time. 

13. Effect on juries and on crime. 

14. Governor Carroll's ideas on this subject. 

15. Date of establishing the penitentiary. 

16. Insane people before 1832. 

17. Location of asylums for the insane. 

18. What is shown by the building of such institutions ? 

19. William Carroll's work as a governor. 

20. His influence in the state. 



CHAPTER XXII 



CANNON'S AND POLK'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1835-1841 

From 1830 to 1850, it might be said, Tennessee almost 
ruled the United States. Her senators and representatives 
in Congress were shrewd and able men, her great states- 
men filled important places 
in the Cabinet and in for- 
eign ministries, her lawyers 
were judges of federal, cir- 
cuit, and supreme courts, 
and Tennesseeans were 
Presidents during twelve 
years in a period of twenty. 
No other state except Vir- 
ginia had ever held so 
commanding an influence 
in national affairs. 

In this chapter will be 
given short sketches of 
some of these distinguished 
men, and of some of their 
political battles. 
Andrew Jackson was born at Waxhaw, South Carolina, 
in 1767. At fourteen years of age he was in the Ameri- 
can army fighting the British. His brother was killed in 
the war, and he himself was wounded and much abused by 
the British. He never forgot their injustice and cruelty. 

150 




Andrew Jackson 



CANNON'S AND POLK'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1835-1841 151 

At the close of the Revolution he studied law and came to 
Rogersville, Tennessee, in 1788 or 1789. Thence he 
moved to Nashville, where he made his home for the 
remainder of his life. 

He was a soldier in the Nickojack Expedition, member 
of the constitutional convention of 1796, representative 




The Hermitage 



and senator in Congress, judge of the Superior Court of 
Tennessee, a general in the army, and President of the 
United States from 1829 to 1837. He died at "The 
Hermitage," his home near Nashville, June 8, 1845, and 
he and his wife are buried there. Rarely, if ever, has a 
man lived who had such lofty patriotism, such' bitter 
prejudices, such dauntless courage, and such unbending 
will. 



152 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

After the War of 1812 Jackson was one of the most 
noted men in the United States. In 1824 he was a candi- 
date for President, against John Ouincy Adams of Massa- 
chusetts, WilHam H. Crawford of Georgia, and Henry 
Clay of Kentucky. Jackson received 99 electoral votes, 
Adams 84, Crawford 41, and Clay 37. It required 131 
votes to elect, so no one was elected by this vote, and in 
accordance with the Constitution of the United States the 
House of Representatives had to elect a President. Clay 
disliked Jackson and persuaded his friends to vote for 
Adams. Adams was elected and made Clay his Secretary 
of State. Jackson and his friends charged Adams and 
Clay with having made a corrupt bargain, and this made 
Clay and Adams and their friends dislike Jackson even 
more than before. 

Since the death of the Federalist party in 1812, all the 
people had been Democratic Republicans, but after the 
contest between Jackson and Adams the Clay and Adams 
party began to be called National Republicans and the 
Jackson party. Democrats. 

Jackson and Adams were again candidates for President 
in 1828, and Jackson was elected. He served eight years, 
being reelected in 1832. He was firm and resolute in 
carrying out his ideas of duty, and very hostile to all who 
differed from him ; and he made many bitter enemies and 
many warm friends. He was very anxious to have Martin 
Van Buren of New York succeed him in 1837, ^.nd his 
attempts to force his ideas on the people of Tennessee 
divided his party in the state. 

Hugh L. White was one of the distinguished Tennes- 
seeans of this period. He was born in North CaroHna in 
1773, and came to Tennessee in 1786. He became a 
member of the legislature, judge of the supreme court of 



CANNON'S AND POLK'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1835-1841 1 53 



the State, and United States senator. He wished to be a 
candidate for President in 1836 to succeed Jackson in 1837. 
Andrew Jackson, Felix Grundy, Aaron V. Brown, Cave 
Johnson, James K. Polk, John Catron, and others were 
against him. A newspaper, called The Nashville Union, 
was established to oppose him. 

Some of those who favored Hugh L. White were John 
Bell, Newton Cannon, Ephraim H. Foster, Allen A. Hall, 
and David Crockett. The Whig and The Clarion were 
two newspapers at Nashville that advocated White's cause. 
Tennessee voted for White, but Van Buren was elected 
President in 1836. 

William Carroll was the Democratic, or Jackson, candi- 
date for governor in 1835, and Newton Cannon the Na- 
tional Republican, or White, candidate. From about this 
date the National Republicans were called Whigs. Cannon 
was elected, not because 
the people thought less of 
Carroll, but because they 
were unwilling to submit 
to Jackson's dictation. The 
people loved and honored 
General Jackson, but they 
thought he had no right to 
try to make them vote for 
Martin Van Buren for 
President. 

Newton Cannon was 
born in North Carolina in 
1 78 1, and came to Tennes- 
see when he was a boy. 

He became a lawyer and was elected a member of the legis- 
lature from WilHamson County in 18 11. From the legis- 




Newton Cannon 



TENN. HIST.' 



10 



154 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

lature he went to the Creek War and became a colonel of 
volunteers. In 1814 he was elected to succeed Felix Grundy 
in the United States Congress. He was Governor of Ten- 
nessee four years, from 1835 to 1839. He was again the 
Whig candidate in 1839, but was defeated by James K. 
Polk, who served only one term, from 1839 to 1841. 

The administrations of Governor Cannon had no special 
influence on the affairs of the state. The Seminole War 
in Florida occurred in 1836, and Tennesseeans, according 
to their custom, took an active part in the war. Pioneer 
life had nearly passed away. Towns, cities, schools, 
churches, and well-cultivated farms were becoming numer- 
ous, and evidences of growing wealth and culture were 
seen in all parts of the state. Carroll's vigorous adminis- 
trations and the constitutional convention of 1834 had 
made needed reforms in the state government, and this 
was a period of law and order. 

The last years of Carroll's rule and the first years of 
Cannon's saw the overthrow of the worst band of crimi- 
nals that ever infested the Southwest. Before good wagon 
roads and railroads were made, nearly all of the commer- 
cial wealth of the country passed up and down the rivers. 
The very worst characters of the country assembled along 
the rivers for the purpose of stealing and robbing from 
the boats, and sometimes bands of them would take pos- 
session of a little river town and defy the authorities. 
They were called river pirates. 

John A. Murrel was a Tennesseean of whom his coun- 
trymen have just cause to be ashamed. He was a man of 
good sense and could have been a useful citizen if he had 
turned his attention to something besides meanness. He 
made himself famous, or rather infamous, as the "great 
land pirate." He lived in Madison County, and organized 



CANNON'S AND POLK'S ADMINISTRAXrONS, 1835-1841 1 55 



all of the thieves, robbers, gamblers, cutthroats, and ruf- 
fians that he could, from Kentucky to New Orleans, into 
one band of which he was the chief. They gambled in the 
towns, robbed boats on the rivers, stole horses and negroes 
from farms, and killed people everywhere. They threat- 
ened to kill any person who reported one of their number 
to the officers of the law. 

In 1834 Virgil Stewart discovered Murrel in the act of 
stealing negroes from one of his neighbors. Murrel was 
sent to the penitentiary for ten years, and was completely 
broken down in mind and health by the time his term 
expired. He lived but a short time after his release from 
prison. Five gamblers and ruffians tried to take posses- 
sion of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on the 4th of July, 1835. 
They were captured and hanged 
by the citizens without trial. At 
other places some were hanged, 
some shot, and some sent to 
prison. This was the end of the 
Murrel Clan and the river pirates. 

James K. Polk was born in 
North Carolina November 2, 
1795. He came to Tennessee in 
1806, but was educated at the 
University of North Carolina, 
where he graduated in 18 18. 
He studied law, but soon went 

into politics, and was a member of the legislature in 1823. 
From 1825 to 1839 he was a representative in Congress 
and speaker of the House of Representatives for the last 
four years of this period. He was Governor of Tennessee 
from 1839 to 1 84 1, and President of the United States from 
1845 to 1849. His term of office closed March 4, 1849, 




James K- Foik 



156 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

and he died the 15th of June following. His remains, with 
those of his wife, who lived until August, 1891, are buried 
in the Capitol grounds at Nashville. 

Governor Polk's administration was a period of wild 
political excitement in which the immediate affairs of the 
state had little or no part. Every one seemed to think 
that the state could get along well enough without any 
special care, and each political party turned its whole 
attention to national affairs and noisy campaigns. 

In 1840 the Whigs nominated William Henry Harrison 
of Ohio for President, and the Democrats renominated 
Martin Van Buren. As Tennessee was the home of 
Andrew Jackson, who was ardently for Van Buren, the 
Whigs determined that the vote of Tennessee should be 
given to Harrison. The Democrats were just as deter- 
mined that Van Buren should have it. 

Before that time no such political uproar had ever been 
created in America. The raen in public life in Tennessee 
were, as a body, by far the most able and brilliant in the 
United States, and, as expressed by a writer of that day, 
"all went into the campaign with their coats off and their 
sleeves rolled up." He meant that each one intended to 
work long and hard for the election of his candidate. 

There were conventions and barbecues and torchlight 
processions and big speakings without number. There 
was a Whig convention at Nashville where Henry Clay is 
said to have spoken to ten acres of people. The Whigs 
called Van Buren a Dutch aristocrat and a political 
huckster, and Jackson's " heir apparent to the government," 
and many other names not at all complimentary. The 
Democrats said Harrison was a frontier soldier who was 
ignorant of civil affairs ; that he was an old Hoosier fit 
only to live in a log cabin in the backwoods of Ohio, drink 



CANNON'S AND POLK'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1835-1841 1 57 

hard cider, and skin coons. In fact, there is no telling 
how many rough and dirty things were said. If any one 
believed half of the ugly stories that were told, he would 
think that both candidates and most of their friends ought 
to have been put into the state's prison or the lunatic 
asylum. 

The newspapers went into the fight with all of the 
humor and sarcasm and bitterness that Jeremiah Harris 
and William G. Brownlow could command, — and that was 
far from being a little. What one party said would be 
twisted around to the use of the other. Log cabins, coons, 
and cider became Whig emblems, while the Democrats 
used roosters and spread-eagles. Nearly everybody seemed 
to have gone mad, and only a few men kept their senses 
and made grand speeches on pubHc questions. 

As the election day approached, the excitement grew 
worse. All over the state there was a grand campaign- 
closing, with drums, fifes, brass horns, guns, firecrackers, 
banners, roosters, eagles, coons, cabins, hard cider, drunken 
men, fist fights, aching heads, and bloody noses. Harrison 
was elected, and the Whigs were jubilant. They imme- 
diately began making preparations to defeat Polk for 
governor in 1 84 1. 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Influence of Tennessee from 1830 to 1850. Why? 

2. Sketch of Andrew Jackson. 

3. The presidential election of 1824. 

4. Jackson's charge against Adams and Clay. 

5. Political parties after 1824. 

6. Jackson's term as President and conduct in office. 

7. Attempt to have Martin Van Buren succeed him. 

8. Sketch of Hugh Lawson White. 



158 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

9. Distinguished men opposed to White. 

10. Those who wished him to be a candidate. 

11. The newspapers. 

12. Whig and Democratic candidates for governor in 1835. 

13. Result of election and reasons for this result. 

14. Sketch of Newton Cannon. 

15. Conditions under Cannon's administration. 

16. River pirates. 

17. John A. Murrel. 

18. Overthrow of the outlaws. 

19. Sketch of James Knox Polk. 

20. Conditions under Governor Polk's administration. 

21. Candidates for President in 1840. 

22. Reasons for a very active campaign in Tennessee 

23. Party abuse of rival candidates. 

24. Newspapers and party emblems. 

25. Close of the campaign, and the election. 



CHAPTER XXIII 



JAMES C. JONES'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1841-1845 

In 1839 Newton Cannon and James K. Polk had can- 
vassed the state in joint debate. This means that the two 
candidates for governor made appointments to speak on 
certain days at the principal towns in the state. At one 
town Cannon would speak first and Polk would answer 
him. At the next place Polk would speak first and Can- 
non would answer him, and so they went over the state. 

Cannon was a good lawyer and a strong man in debate, 
but was a slow, dignified speaker and was somewhat dull 
and tiresome to the crowds 
that attended the speakings. 
Polk was a bright, ready man 
who made jokes at Cannon's 
expense, and told stories that 
made the people laugh, and 
kept Cannon worried and 
irritated all the time. Polk 
could also debate the ques- 
tions thoroughly when he 
chose to do so, as he was a 
very able and well-informed 
man. As you already know, 
Polk was elected. 

In 1 841 the Whigs put up against Polk a candidate who 
was very different from Cannon. This was James Cham- 
berlain Jones, usually called " Lean Jimmy " because he 

159 




James Chamberlain Jones 



l60 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

was six feet two inches high, and weighed only one hundred 
and twenty-five pounds. He was born in Davidson County 
in 1809, and was a farmer in Wilson County when he was 
elected to the legislature in 1837 ^^^ again in 1839. He 
was Governor of Tennessee from 1841 to 1845, and was the 
first native of the state to hold that office. He moved to 
Memphis in 1850 to become president of the Memphis and 
Charleston Railroad. He was elected to the United States 
Senate in 1852, and died in 1859. 

Polk knew he was superior to Jones in serious debate, 
and therefore wished to conduct the canvass in a serious 
manner, but Jones was too shrewd a politician to allow 
that. 

Polk found himself in 1841 in much the same plight 
that Cannon had been in 1839. Jones was a natural 
mimic and actor. He paid no attention to Polk's argu- 
ments except to turn them into ridicule, and to make a 
laughingstock of their author. He burlesqued Polk's 
speeches with the most outrageous and ridiculous anecdotes, 
that brought roars of laughter from the crowds. Polk 
lost his temper ; Jones kept perfectly cool and, while 
looking as serious as a judge on the bench, told more jokes 
and made them spicier than before. Polk was mortified 
and disgusted ; Jones looked as solemn as the Sphinx ; the 
people shouted themselves hoarse and laughed until their 
sides ached. 

All of the Whigs and a few of the Democrats said it 
was good enough for Polk ; that Jones was making him 
"take some of his own medicine"; that he was being 
" paid back in his own coin " for the way he had treated 
Cannon in 1839. Jones was elected, and again defeated 
Polk in 1843, chiefly, but not entirely, by the same 
methods as in 1841. These two men have generally 



JAMES C. JONES'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1841-1845 161 

been regarded as the authors or originators of what has 
been called *'the art of stump speaking." It is a great 
pity that any such "art" as these campaigns exhibit was 
ever practiced. In a free government the merits of all 
public questions should be freely discussed, without politi- 
cal trickery or campaign stage acting, and the people 
ought to vote according to their best judgment. 

For several years before Governor Jones came into 
office the state had been giving large sums of money for 
internal improvements. The Whigs accused the Demo- 
crats of giving the contracts for work in such manner as 
to influence elections, and of using the state bank for the 
same purpose. The Democrats denied this, and said 
that the Whigs wished to get into office so that they might 
do the very things which they had accused the Democrats 
of doing. Of course the honest men of both parties wished 
no such unfair things to be done by any one. 

In the legislature of 1841 the Whigs had a very small 
majority in the House of Representatives. In the Senate 
there were twelve Democrats, twelve Whigs, and one inde- 
pendent member. There were two United States senators 
to be elected. The independent, Samuel Turney, was 
elected speaker of the Senate, and he and the twelve Demo- 
crats voted for H. L. Turney, Samuel's brother, for United 
States senator. The Whigs of the House would not 
accept this, but invited the Senate to meet them in joint 
session. This the Democrats refused to do, and Ten- 
nessee had no senators in Congress from 1841 to 1843. 
Samuel Turney and the twelve Democrats have ever 
since been called *' the immortal thirteen." Andrew John- 
son was one of them. 

Governor Jones nominated a new board of directors for 
the state bank, but "the immortal thirteen" voted against 



1 62 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

them and left the old Democratic directors in office. The 
governor also recommended an investigation of the affairs 
of the bank, but the "immortal thirteen" defeated this also. 
People began to think that there might be some truth in the 
charges made against the Democrats, and Polk, though an 
able and upright man, was badly defeated in 1843. 

During Jones's administrations the "state debt" began 
to appear as a political question. I shall not try to ex- 
plain this to my young readers now. The banks, internal 
improvements, land grants, and the state debt are very 
closely interwoven in state affairs, and together they form 
a very com.plicated problem. Only our best lawyers, 
ablest statesmen, and wisest historians understand this 
very confused and intricate part of the history of the 
state. The state debt will be mentioned under the admin- 
istrations of the governors who had most trouble with it. 

The Legislature of Tennessee held its sessions at Knox- 
ville until 181 2. Three sessions were then held at Nash- 
ville, and then one at Knoxville in 18 17. From 18 19 to 
1825 all sessions were held at Murfreesboro. After 1825 
they were held at Nashville. In 1843 the legislature 
made Nashville the permanent capital of the state, and 
the corner stone of the Capitol was laid on the 4th of July, 
1845. The legislature used the building in 1853, but it 
was not finished until 1856. Before 1853 the legislature 
had held its meetings in courthouses. 

Governor Jones and the legislators of 1843 made two 
appropriations that are a lasting credit to them and an 
honor to the state. They gave the first money ever given 
for that purpose from the treasury, to establish at Nash- 
ville a school for the blind, and at Knoxville a school for 
deaf mutes. Before that time the Tennessee girls and 
boys who were blind or deaf had to grow up without edu- 



JAMES C. JONES'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1841-1845 163 

cation, unless their parents were able to send them away to 
the schools in Europe or in some of the northeastern states= 
The founding of these schools shows that the people were 
not thinking entirely of political hubbub, but were growing 
more refined in feeUng, and more wise and practical in 
their methods of helping the needy and unfortunate. 




The Capitol, Nashville 

In 1844 James K. Polk was nominated by the Demo- 
crats for President of the United States. The Whigs 
nominated Henry Clay of Kentucky. Both parties knew 
that the fight would be desperate, and both believed that 
Tennessee would be the center of the political battle. 
There was still almost the same grand array of able 
statesmen and brilliant orators in both parties that had 
conducted the former campaign. All over the state the 
scenes of 1840 were repeated. The Democrats had a 



164 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

better candidate than then and fought harder for him. 
The Whigs won in Tennessee, but Polk was elected Presi- 
dent. This was the first time that a candidate had ever 
lost his own state and still been elected. The defeat of 
Clay was a great disappointment to the Whigs, as they 
considered him the greatest man of the United States. 

In 1845 Governor Jones's second term of office expired 
and he declined to be a candidate again. The Whigs 
nominated Ephraim H. Foster, and the Democrats Aaron 
V. Brown. Brown was elected and served only one term. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. A canvass in joint debate. 

2. Canvass of Polk and Cannon. Result. 

3. Whig candidate for governor in 1841. 
4 Sketch of James C. Jones. 

5. Canvass of Jones and Polk. 

6. How the people regarded Polk's humiliation. 

7. "The art of stump speaking.'' 

8. Best method of maintaining good government. 

9. Charges of the Whigs against the Democrats. 
ID- Democratic denial. 

11. The two parties in the legislature of 1841. 

12. Tennessee without United States senators. 

13. "The immortal thirteen." 

14. New board of directors and investigation of the state bank 

15. Conclusions of many oeople. Result. 

16. The ''State debt" as a part of our history. 

17. The three capitals of the state. 

18. Permanent capital, and the building of the Capitol. 

19. Famous appropriations of 1843. 

20. What these appropriations show. 
2T. Presidential campaign of 1844. 

22. Peculiar condition of Polk's election. 

23. Candidates for governor in 1845. 

24. Result of the election. 



CHAPTER XXIV 



FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS, 1845-1853 

William Trousdale, Democrat. 



1. Aaron V. Brown, Democrat. 

2. Neill S. Brown, Whig. 



William B. Campbell, Whig. 



From 1840 to i860 questions of purely state policy 
had little or nothing to do with the choice of governors. 
Every state election was fiercely contested on some issue 
of national or sectional politics. So nearly equal were 
the parties in Tennessee that, from the election of Polk in 
1839 to the election of Andrew Johnson in 1853, the gov- 
ernors were alternately 
Democrats and Whigs, 
and none except James C. 
Jones held the office more 
than one term. 

Aaron Vail Brown was 
born in Virginia in 1795. 
His parents moved to Giles 
County Tennessee, in 
181 3, and had him edu- 
cated at the University of 
North Carolina. He stud- 
ied law at Nashville and 
after commencing practice 
formed a partnership with James K. Polk. He was a 
member of the state Senate from 1821 to 1827, and rep- 
resentative from Giles County in 1831. He was a member 

165 




Aaron Vail Brown 



1 66 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

of Congress from 1839 ^^ i845> when he was elected Gov- 
ernor of Tennessee. In 1857 he was appointed Postmaster 
General by President Buchanan, and died at Washington 
city in 1859. He was a fine lawyer, a fluent speaker, and 
a sagacious politician. He was a sturdy Democrat of the 
Jackson school. 

The Whig candidate for governor in 1845 was Ephraim 
H. Foster. He was a native of Kentucky, but came to 
Davidson County, Tennessee, in 1797, when only three 
years old. He was educated at the University of Nash- 
ville, and became a lawyer. He w^as General Jackson's 
private secretary in the Creek War, and began public life 
as a member of the legislature, where he served in 1827, 
1829, and 1835. In 1837 he was elected to the United 
States Senate, but resigned in November, 1839, because 
he had been instructed by the legislature to vote for some 
of Van Buren's measures. He was one of the candidates 
for the United States Senate defeated by "the immortal 
thirteen" in 1841. In 1843 he was elected United States 
senator and served until 1845, when he became a candidate 
for governor and was defeated by Aaron V. Brown. He 
died in 1854. He was a talented man, a brilliant orator, 
and was personally very popular, though he was considered 
inconsistent in his political course. 

In Chapter XX. the war between Texas and Mexico 
was mentioned in connection with Sam Houston's life. 
After Texas became an independent state it desired to be 
admitted to the American Union. Some of the people of 
the United States were in favor of this, and some were 
opposed to it. Some said that it would bring on a war 
between the United States and Mexico, and that they 
wanted no war. The abolitionists, in the North, said that 
it would add more slave territory to the country, and that 



FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS, 1 845-1 853 1 67 

they did not want any more. Those in favor of annexa- 
tion said they would risk all of these things to help the 
Texans, as nearly all of them were people from the United 
States. 

When Polk was a candidate for President he boldly 
advocated annexing Texas, and in 1845 Texas became one 
of the United States. The danger of war grew out of a 
dispute between Texas and Mexico about a boundary line. 
Texas claimed that the Rio Grande River was the dividing 
line. Mexico claimed that the Nueces River was the line. 
Between these rivers was a strip of disputed territory. 

In the spring of 1846 President Polk ordered General 
Zachary Taylor to take his army into the disputed terri- 
tory and hold it for Texas. The Mexicans resisted this, 
and thus began the Mexican War, which closed with the 
surrender of the city of Mexico to a United States army 
in September, 1847. 

Governor Aaron V. Brown called for twenty-six hun- 
dred soldiers for the Mexican War. In answer to this call 
thirty thousand volunteered. Tennessee was the "Volun- 
teer State." Among the famous men of Tennessee who 
took part in this war were Gideon J. Pillow, W. T. Has- 
kell, William Trousdale, William B. Campbell, B. F. Cheat- 
ham, and William B. Bate. The last two were very young 
at the time of the Mexican War, and afterward became 
famous in the Civil War. 

The readiness with which Tennesseeans volunteered for 
this war was caused in part by the treatment the Mexicans 
had given men from their own state in the Texan War of 
1836. In a fort called the Alamo, at San Antonio, Texas, 
4000 Mexicans besieged 140 men under Colonel William 
Travis. After killing about ten times their own number 
of Mexicans, the Texans surrendered under positive prom- 



1 68 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

ise to be treated as prisoners of war. Instead of keeping 
his promise, tlie Mexican general, Santa Anna, had these 
men murdered. Among them was David Crockett from 
Tennessee. 

David Crockett was born in the wilds of East Tennessee 
in 1786. Early in life he removed to Middle Tennessee, 




At the Alamo 



married, and settled in what is now Giles County. It was 
a wilderness then without definite county lines. He made 
a good soldier in the Creek War, was elected colonel of 
the militia of his county, and afterward a member of the 
legislature. In 1822 he removed to Obion County, and 
was again sent to the legislature in 1823. In 1825 he 
was defeated for Congress, but was elected in 1827. In 
1829 he was defeated on account of his violent opposition 
to Jackson. In 1833 he was again sent to Congress and 



FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS, 1845-1853 



169 



was one of Jackson's strongest political enemies. In the 
election of 1835 he was again defeated, and he then went 
to Texas. He was killed in cold blood March 6, 1836, 
after the surrender of the Alamo. 

Many absurd stories have been told of Colonel Crockett's 
fondness for hunting, his whisky drinking, his ignorance^ 
and his boorishness. Born and reared as he was in the 
forests of a new country, 
he was very naturally fond 
of hunting and adventure, 
and killed many bears, 
panthers, and other wild 
beasts. But hunting was 
not his business ; it was 
only his amusement. He 
was never in any sense 
a drunkard. Instead of 
being ignorant he was 
really very shrewd and in- 
telligent. His opportuni- 
ties at school had been 
very poor, but I have 

seen letters^ written with his own hand, that showed good 
sense and great information, as well as good writing and 
fine taste in composition. Instead of being a boor he was 
a very social and popular man of good manners according 
to frontier standards. 

The Mexican War not onl)/ secured Texas for the 
United States, but added what is now CaHfornia, Nevada, 
Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of 
Colorado Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. This was 
the greatest addition ever made to the territory of the 
United States except Jefferson's purchase of Louisiana. 

TENN. HISTw — II 




David Crockett 



70 



THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 



A Tennessee President had given to the United States a 
domain nearly equal in area to fifteen states as large as 
Tennessee. 

The whole of Governor Aaron V. Brown's administra- 
tion was a period of political struggle and war excitement, 
and the peaceful pursuits of the people are seldom men- 
tioned in the newspapers, magazines, and books of that 
day. 

The admission of Texas and the gain of the new terri- 
tory increased the great strife about negro slavery. The 
people charged all of the trouble to the Democratic party. 
President Polk was accused of being partial to Democrats 
in making appointments in the army, and of treating Gen- 
eral Taylor unfairly because he was a Whig. Governor 
Aaron V. Brown had to answer these and many other 

charges against his party 
when he became a candidate 
for reelection in 1847. He was 
defeated by Neill S. Brown, 
the Whig candidate for gov- 
ernor. 

Neill S. Brown was born in 
Giles County, Tennessee, in 
1 8 10. He was a soldier in the 
Seminole War, a member of 
the legislature, a presidential 
elector, a candidate for Con- 
gress, and from 1847 to 1849, 
Governor of Tennessee. He 
was the second governor who had been born and reared in 
the state. In 1850 he was minister to Russia, in 1855 
speaker of the state House of Representatives, and in 
1870 a member of the constitutional convention ot Ten- 




Neill S. Brown 



FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS, 1845-1853 



171 



nessee. He died at Nashville in 1886, loved and honored 
as few public men have been. 

Probably the most important state feature of Governor 
Neill S. Brown's administration was his effort to establish 
a system of public schools. He urged the legislature to 
pass a law that would allow the counties to levy a school 
tax and establish schools of their own. An act was 
passed, but not in the form he wished it, and it resulted 
in no permanent school system. 

In the presidential campaign of 1848, Lewis Cass of 
Michigan was the Democratic candidate, and the Whigs 
nominated General Zachary Taylor of Mexican War fame. 
The speakings and torchlight processions and political 
songs and general uproar and tumult of the campaign were 
very little inferior to the stormy canvass of 1840. Taylor 
was elected, and the Whigs were wild with delight. In 
1849 they nominated Neill S. 
Brown for reelection as gov- 
ernor, but he was defeated 
by the Democratic candidate, 
William Trousdale. 

General William Trousdale 
was born in North Carolina in 
1790, and came to Tennessee 
when only six years old. He 
left school to become a soldier 
in the Creek War, and was 
under Jackson at Pensacola 
and New Orleans. In 1835 
he was a member of the state 

Senate, in 1836 a colonel in the Seminole War, in 1847 a 
brigadier general in the Mexican War. So many and so 
brave had been his services in camp and battle that he 




William Trousdale 



1/2 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

was called "The War Horse of Sumner County." In 
1849 he was elected Governor of Tennessee and he held 
office one term. In 1852 President Pierce made him min- 
ister to Brazil. He died in 1872. 

One of the most important events in the period of Gov- 
ernor Trousdale's administration was the meeting of the 
''Southern Convention " at Nashville in 1850. This was 
an assembly of men from the southern states to consider 
the compromise measures then before Congress, and to 
give their opinions about what the South had better do 
on the subject of negro slavery. 

This convention had been called chiefly by the efforts 
of Andrew Jackson Donelson, a nephew of Andrew Jack- 
son. Nearly all of the members were Democrats, and 
they made speeches and passed resolutions that led many 
people to think that they were either very rash and foolish, 
or very disloyal to the Union. Others said they were wise 
and good men, who wished nothing more than what was 
plainly written in the Constitution of the United States. 

Andrew J. Donelson said the proceedings of the conven- 
tion were not what he desired or expected, and that he 
would not indorse its action. The Whigs denounced the 
meeting as a secession convention of Democrats. Aaron 
V. Brown and A. O. P. Nicholson denied this, and claimed 
that the Democrats were as loyal to the Union as the 
Whigs were. However this may have been, the people 
of Tennessee became a little suspicious of the Democratic 
party, and in 185 1 Governor WilHam Trousdale, renomi- 
nated for governor, was defeated by the Whig candidate, 
General William B. Campbell. 

William B. Campbell was born in Davidson County in 
1807. He was a nephew of Governor David Campbell, of 
Virginia, under whom he studied law. He was state's 




FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS, 1845-1853 1 73 

attorney in 1829, member of the legislature in 1835, a 
captain in Trousdale's regiment in the Seminole War, 
member of Congress from 1837 to 1843, colonel of the 
First Tennessee Regiment 
in the Mexican War, a 
judge of the circuit court, 
and Governor of Tennes- 
see from 185 1 to 1853. In 
1865 he was again sent to 
Congress, and he died in 
1867. 

In the Mexican War 
Campbell's regiment was 
called the " Bloody First." 
At the storming of Monte- 
rey, instead of orderins: his 

, , „ William B. Campbell 

regmient to charge, Camp- 
bell shouted to his soldiers, *' Boys, follow me." The Whigs 
made this expression their campaign cry in the canvass of 
1851. This canvass, however, was conducted by Trous- 
dale and Campbell in a manner that was very different 
from many others. Both were great men ; they were fel> 
low-soldiers and gentlemen. In debate they are said to 
have been as courteous to each other as if they had been 
speaking in a parlor, with ladies for an audience. 

William B. Campbell was the last Whig Governor of 
Tennessee, and the third native of the state to hold its 
highest office. The presidential campaign of 1852 was 
almost as exciting in Tennessee as those that had pre- 
ceded it. The Whigs carried the state for their candidate, 
General Winfield Scott, but the Democratic candidate, 
Franklin Pierce, was elected. This was the last election 
the Whigs ever carried in the state. 



K74 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Elections in Tennessee from 1840 to i860. 

2. The strength of the two political parties, 

3. Sketch of Aaron V. Brown. 

4. Sketch of Ephraim H. Foster. 

5. Objections to the admission of Texas. 

6. Position of President Polk and a majority of the people. 

7. The disputed territory. 

8. How the Mexican War began. 

9. Response in Tennessee to the call for soldiers. 

10. Famous Tennesseeans in the Mexican War. 

1 1 . Sketch of David Crockett. 

12. Territory added to the United States. 

13. Period of Governor Aaron V. Brown's administration. 

14. Charges against the Democratic party in 1847. Result. 

15. Sketch of Neill S. Brown. 

16. Most important state feature of Neill Brown's administration 

17. The presidential campaign of 1848. 

18. Sketch of William Trousdale. 

19. The " Southern Convention.'" 

20. Opinions of Whigs and Democrats. 

21. Effect on state election of 1 85 1. 

22. Sketch of William B. Campbell. 

23. Canvass between Trousdale and Campbell. 

24. The last struggle of the Whigs in Tennessee. 



CHAPTER XXV 

JOHNSON AND HARRIS, 1853-1861 

Andrew Johnson was Governor of Tennessee from 
1853 to 1857. In 1853 he defeated Gustavus A. Henry, a 
native of Kentucky, born in 1804, and educated at Tran- 
sylvania University. Henry came to Clarksville, Tennessee, 
in 1833. He was once a member of the legislature, and 
a presidential elector in every election from 1840 to 1852. 
When Tennessee seceded, he was elected to the Confederate 
Senate. He died at his home in Clarksville in 1880. He 
was a remarkably handsome, graceful, and accomplished 
man, and was called the " Eagle Orator." This title was 
a distinguished honor for one in the midst of that proud 
array of great and brilliant men who thronged the public 
arena of that time. 

In 1855 Andrew Johnson defeated Meredith P. Gentry. 
Gentry was born in North Carolina in 1809, and came to 
Williamson County in 181 3. From 1835 to 1839 he was a 
member of the legislature. He was a Whig member of 
Congress from 1839 to 1853, and his speeches there gave 
him a national reputation as an orator and a statesman. 
His most famous speeches were one on a bill to prevent 
Federal interference in local elections, and one against Gen- 
eral Winfield Scott as a candidate for President. He was 
winning in manner, strong in debate, a silver-tongued 
orator, — great in the midst of great men. He was opposed 
to secession, but followed the fortunes of his state and was 

17s 




176 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

a member of the Confederate Congress. He died at 

Nashville in 1866. 

Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, 

December 29, 1808. When ten years old he was '' bound " 

to a tailor to learn his trade. 
His apprenticeship lasted seven 
years, and, with great labor and 
difficulty, he learned to read after 
working hours. He never went 
to school a day in his life. In 
1826 he went to Greeneville, 
Tennessee, and began business 
as a tailor in his own shop. 
Here he married, and his wife 
taught him writing, arithmetic, 
and other simple elements of an 

Andrew Johnson ^ 

education. After this his great 
learning was acquired by his own efforts. 

His first office was that of alderman of Greeneville, then 
he was made mayor, and then elected to the legislature, 
where he was one of ''the immortal thirteen." In 1843 he 
was sent to Congress, where he remained, by reelections, 
until 1853, when he was elected governor. After being 
governor four years he was elected to the United States 
Senate, where he remained until the Civil War. He took 
the strongest possible ground against secession, or any form 
of disunion. In 1862 he was appointed Military Governor 
of Tennessee. In 1864 he was elected Vice President by 
the Republicans, and in 1865, by the death of President 
Lincoln, he became the seventeenth President of the United 
States. 

As Johnson was a Democrat, he and the Republican 
Congress could not agree about the " Reconstruction Policy." 



JOHNSON AND HARRIS, 1853-1861 177 

Congress impeached him and tried to turn him out of office, 
but failed. His long trial is one of the most dramatic 
chapters in the history of the United States. 

On March 4, 1875, he again entered the United States 
Senate, but died at Carters Station, Tennessee, on the 
last day of the following July. His body was wrapped 
in the American flag and buried at Greeneville. In the 
same cemetery are buried his wife, three sons, and two 
daughters. 

Andrew Johnson was one of the greatest men of the 
state, or of the nation. He would have been great in any 
age or any land, in spite of many characteristics that 
were anything bat great. Having risen from poverty and 
obscurity, he hated aristocracy and oppression ; but when 
in power himself he was one of the most arbitrary and 
masterful of men. He possessed the great mind and broad 
views of a sagacious statesman, and a patriotism that would 
have dared the stake or the gibbet ; but some of his acts 
seem to have been influenced by petty spites and bitter 
prejudices. While one of the most courageous, indepen- 
dent, and original of men in declaring his convictions and 
policy on public questions, he sometimes descended to the 
tricks of a politician. 

Some of his public utterances contain the strong, dig- 
nified, far-sighted views of a sage and patriot, and are 
among the valuable state papers of the nation ; others are 
filled with violent personalities unbecoming the dignity of a 
public station. 

Perhaps we are too near him in time to do the memory 
of this great man justice. As we are, able to se'e his career 
to-day, it looms up a giant pillar of cloud and fire that 
towers in splendor through obscuring mists of partisan 
bitterness. 



178 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

Before the administration of Governor Johnson the State 
Library was composed almost entirely of court reports, 
Congressional documents, and a few other books of a purely 
pubhc nature. In 1854 the legislature gave $5000 to buy 
books for the library, and appointed R. J. Meigs to attend 
to the purchase. Mr. Meigs was soon after this made libra- 
rian and given a regular salary. Additions have been 
made, from time to time, until there is now in the Capitol 
a large library containing thousands of valuable books, 
papers, and pictures. This collection belongs to the people 
of Tennessee. If you go to the State Library, you will 
find there a polite librarian who will get for you almost any 
book you may call for, and you may read it in the room, 
but no one is allowed to carry the books away from the 
library. 

The Tennessee Historical Society was permanently 
organized at Nashville in 1857, though it had been in 
existence a number of years before this date. This is a 
voluntary association of people for the purpose of collect- 
ing and preserving whatever is rare and valuable in his- 
tory. They have books made hundreds of years ago, 
Indian relics of many strange kinds, letters written by 
James Robertson and other famous men, the sword of John 
Sevier, the sash worn by Colonel Ferguson when he was 
killed at Kings Mountain, mummies from Egypt, coins 
that may have been carried in the purses of Roman 
emperors. Confederate money, state banknotes, postage 
stamps, old newspapers and magazines, quaint specimens 
of furniture and tableware, and hundreds of other rare 
and curious things. If you visit this institution, the custo- 
dian will politely show you all of these curiosities, but you 
must keep your hands off everything. 

In 1853 the legislature appropriated ^30,000 to establish 



JOHNSON AND HARRIS, 1853-1861 1 79 

agricultural and mechanical fairs. At these fairs the 
farmers showed their fine horses, sheep, and cattle ; their 
huge pumpkins, turnips, and ears of corn ; their fat 
chickens, turkeys, and geese; and ever so many more 
things, to let the world know what fine farm products 
Tennessee could furnish for market. The mechanics 
showed their nice buggies, wagons, and plows; their 
barrels, jugs, and churns; their furniture, shoes, and cloth- 
ing ; and many other articles, to show the world what fine 
work Tennessee mechanics could do. 

For a time these fairs were very popular, and* the State 
Fair at Nashville was once attended by thirty thousand 
people. In a few years the interest in them became so 
small that the legislature abolished the State Fair and 
stopped helping the county fairs. In their stead was 
established the " Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics, and 
Mines," which is in charge of a commissioner who gathers 
and distributes information on industrial subjects. 

Now let us review a little. In the administrations of 
Governor Carroll we find imprisonment for debt, the 
stocks, and the whipping post abolished. This shows that 
the people were becoming more humane. In the admin- 
istrations of Governor Jones we find schools established 
for the blind and the deaf. This shows that the people 
were becoming more kind and charitable in feeling. In 
the administrations of Governor Johnson and Governor 
Harris we see the rise and growth of the State Library, 
the Historical Society, colleges and schools of many 
grades, and a state department of industries. This shows 
the advance in learning and intellectual life. The days of 
struggle for the necessities of physical life had passed 
away, and the administrations of Johnson and Harris may 
be called the era of wealth and culture, and of the develop- 



l8o THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

ment of a distinctly southern spirit among the people of 

Tennessee. 

The period of Johnson and Harris was a time of great 
poUtical excitement and change. The Whig party was 
dying, the abolition party was growing rapidly in the 
North, and in the South the Democrats were sweeping 
everything before them. In 1856 Tennessee gave her 
electoral votes to James Buchanan for President. This 
was the first time that the state had voted for a Democratic 
candidate for President since the election of Andrew Jack- 
son in 1832. 

In 1857 I sham G. Harris was elected governor, defeat- 
ing Robert Hatton. In 1859 he was again elected, defeat- 
ing John Netherland. In 1861 he was reelected, having 
practically no opposition. He was the fourth governor 
born and reared in the state, and the first from West 
Tennessee. 

Robert Hatton was born in Sumner County, Tennessee, 
in 1827. He was an educated, accomplished young lawyer 
when nominated for governor in 1857. He had been a 
member of the legislature and a candidate for presidential 
elector. After his defeat for governor he was sent to 
Congress, where he served until near the beginning of the 
Civil War. He was made a brigadier general in the Con- 
federate Army and was killed at the battle of Fair Oaks, 
in Virginia, in 1862. 

John Netherland was born in Virginia in 1805, and came 
to Tennessee in 18 14. He became one of the brilliant 
orators and popular public men of his day. He was three 
times a Whig member of the legislature and twice a presi- 
dential elector. He opposed secession, but took no part in 
the war that followed. After the Civil War President 
Johnson appointed him minister to Brazil, but he declined 



JOHNSON AND HARRIS, 1 853-1861 



181 



the appointment. His last service to the state was in the 
convention that formed the constitution of 1870. He died 
at Rogersville in 1887. 

Isham Greene Harris was born at Tullahoma, Ten- 
nessee, February 10, 18 18. He moved to Paris in 1838, 
studied law, and began prac- 
tice in i84i. He was a 
member of the legislature in 
1847, a candidate for presi- 
dential elector in 1848, and 
member of Congress from 
1849 to 1853. He opened 
a law office in Memphis in 
1853, and was chosen a presi- 
dential elector in 1856. He 
was elected Governor of Ten- 
nessee in 1857, 1859, and 
1 86 1. After the election of 
Lincoln he became a strong 
advocate of secession, and in 1861 issued the proclamation 
declaring Tennessee out of the American Union. During 
the greater part of the Civil War he served as a volunteer 
aid to the Confederate commanders. At the close of the 
war he went to Mexico, but returned to Memphis in 1867. 
In 1876 he was elected United States senator, and was 
continued in office until his death, which occurred ar 
Washington city in July, 1897. 

Among the great men of Tennessee, Governor Harris 
takes very high rank. He was firm, fearless, and rigidly 
honest in the face of appalling dangers and strong temp- 
tations. His public career covers a period of fifty years, 
and the greater part of that time was the stormiest in 
political tumult and the bloodiest in war that the nation 




Isham G. Harris 



1 82 THE STATE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR 

has ever known. Through every conflict, whether in 
Congress, in the governor's chair, or on the field of battle, 
Governor Harris bore himself as a leader of men, and a 
public servant worthy of confidence and respect. He had 
faults, and in his long public career made some bitter 
enemies ; but none ever questioned the sincerity of his 
professions or the integrity of his conduct. 

The most prominent feature of the administrations of 
Governor Harris was the intense political excitement that 
centered in the presidential contest of i860, which resulted 
in the election of Abraham Lincoln and the secession of 
the southern states. Harris's last election as governor 
occurred when secession was an accomplished fact, and 
when, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, the 
blast of the bugle and the roll of the drum was marshaling 
nearly three millions of men to the fiercest struggle, the 
bloodiest war of the nineteenth century. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Subject and date of Chapter XXV. 

2. Gustavus A. Henry. 

3. Meredith P. Gentry. 

4. The youth of Andrew Johnson. 

5. His education. 

6. His public life before he became President. 

7. Troubles with Congress. 

8. His last public service and death. 

9. His character as a great man. 

10. The State Library. 

11. The Tennessee Historical Society. 

12. State and county fairs. 

13. Department of Agriculture. 

14. Evidences of progress in the time of Governor Carroll. 

15. In the time of Governor Jones. 

16. In the time of Governors Johnson and Harris. 



JOHNSON AND HARRIS, 1853- 1861 1 83 

17. Political changes occurring in the Johnson-Harris time. 

18. Presidential vote of Tennessee in 185^. 

19. Governor of Tennessee from 1857 to 1861. 

20. Robert Hatton. 

21. John Netherland. 

22. Ishani G. Harris before he became governor. 

23. His term as governor, and most important official act. 

24. His career after the Civil War. 

25. His character as a public man. 

26. Presidential election of i860 and result. 

27. Conditions when Harris was last elected governor. 



Period IV. 1 861-1865 
fHE CIVIL WAR 



CHAPTER XXVI 

NULLIFICATION AND SECESSION 

You have already been told that when the American 
Union of States was formed there sprang up two political 
parties, the Federalists or centralizing party, and the Anti- 
FederaHsts (Democratic Republicans) or state's rights party. 
The Federalists thought that the general or federal gov- 
ernment should be supreme in all things. The Anti-Fed- 
eralist thought that a state should be supreme, within its 
own limits, on all affairs that did not involve the rights of 
other states or nations. 

This definition does not mark any details, but gives broad 
or general principles that have guided one or another of 
all the variously named political parties of our country. 
These two principles came into conflict on a number of 
public questions, but chiefly on the question of the tariff, 
or taxes on foreign goods imported into this country, and 
on the question of negro slavery. The result was to bring 
up the doctrines of "nullification " and ''secession." 

Nullification means to set aside or to make void. As 
used in United States government affairs it means about 
this : the Congress might pass a law and the President 
approve it; but if any state thought this law unjust or a 

184 



NULLIFICATION AND SECESSION 



185 



violation cf its rights under the Federal Constitution, that 
state might by act of its own legislature suspend or 
abolish, within its own limits, the execution of the United 
States law. The 
"Virginia Resolu- 
tions," written by- 
Madison, and the 
'Kentucky Reso- 
lutions" by Jeffer- 
son, declared this 
right in 1 799. 

In 1832 South 
Carolina passed 
her celebrated 
'' Nullification Or- 
dinance" with 
reference to the 
tariff, and in 1833 
Pennsylvania 
passed her famous 
" Personal Liberty 
Bill " in defiance 
of the decision of 
the Supreme 
Court of the 
United States about runaway slaves. Andrew Jackson 
was President when these things occurred. He appealed 
to the people to observe the laws of their country, and 
threatened to hang those who refused to do so. Compro- 
mises were made in Congress, in regard to the tariff, and 
the difficulties were settled for a time. 

There was no more nuUification in any state of the 
South, but after Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law 




ADraham Lincoln 



TENN. HIST.- 



12 



1 86 



THE CIVIL WAR 



in 1850, several states of the North enacted laws very simi- 
lar to the Pennsylvania Personal Liberty Bill. That is, they 
practically nullified the act of Congress, though not avow- 
ing nullification as did South Carolina. The nullifiers did 
not advocate secession. They claimed to be Union men, but 
said that every state had the right, under the Constitution 

of the United States, to 
protect its own interests 
in the Union. 

The secessionists 
claimed that whenever 
the Federal government 
did anything in viola- 
tion of the provisions of 
the Constitution of the 
United States, or of one 
of the states, any state 
had the right to secede 
or withdraw from the 
Union. They declared 
that the American Un- 
ion had no powers ex- 
cept those given by the 
states, that its constitution was a compact or agreement of 
sovereign and independent states, and that whenever the 
Federal government violated the agreement, or acted in 
such way as to make the Union oppressive or injurious 
to any of its members, the states were no longer bound by 
the agreement. 

I know that this is a difficult subject for my young 
friends to understand, but I have tried to make plain for 
you the difference between "nullification," or the setting 
aside of the laws of Congress by a state in the Union, and 




Jefferson Davis 



NULLIFICATION AND SECESSION 187 

" secession," or a state's going entirely out of the Union. 
I have given you the two doctrines as stated by their advo- 
cates, and have told you enough of the history of nullifica- 
tion. It is necessary for us next to look into the history 
of secession, as the use of this assumed right was the 
direct cause of the war between the states. 

Before we begin this, however, I wish to remind the 
girls and boys of Tennessee that the truth in history, as in 
all other matters, is the only thing that is worth knowing. 
No difference whether it is for Tennessee or against Ten- 
nessee, whether it suits our taste or does not suit it, we 
should seek to know the exact truth. There are many 
books, especially story books and school histories of the 
United States, that do not give us correct ideas about nulli- 
fication, negro slavery, secession, and the Civil War. 

The books referred to do not state direct falsehoods, but 
they omit so much and cover up so much of the truth, and 
give the truth that they tell in such an unfair way, that 
they make false impressions or deceive people. Tennessee 
is a southern state and is not willing to be falsely accused. 
Most of the school histories give us the idea that slavery, 
nullification, secession, rebellion, and all other bad things 
of a social and political nature belong almost exclusively 
to the South. This is not the truth. 

The three southern states of Virginia, Kentucky, and 
South CaroHna have passed ''nullification ordinances," or 
laws that amounted to the same thing. The eleven north- 
ern states of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, 
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wis- 
consin, and Kansas passed state laws to punish, with severe 
penalties, any one who obeyed the laws of Congress with 
reference to fugitive slaves. 

There was a time when all of the states then in exist- 



1 88 THE CIVIL WAR 

ence, both north and south, allowed negro slavery, and no 
one seemed to think it was wrong. The first American 
slave ship was built at Marblehead, Massachusetts, with 
northern money, manned by northern seamen, and run for 
northern profit. The South owned slaves, and so did the 
North. The North brought negroes from their native 
home in Africa to sell them into slavery in America ; the 
South did not, but both North and South bought them 
from these northern kidnappers. 

In 1796 Thomas Jefferson was a candidate for Presi- 
dent. In speaking of his probable election, Governor 
Wolcott of Connecticut said : " I sincerely declare that I 
wish the northern states would separate from the southern 
the moment that event shall take place." That is, a Con- 
necticut governor wished his state to do, in 1796, precisely 
what South Carolina did in i860, — secede from the Union 
because it was not pleased with the President elected. 

Governor Plumer of New Hampshire , says that the 
avowed purpose of many New England leaders in 1805 
was to dissolve the Union, because they did not like the 
probable results of the purchase of Louisiana. In 181 1 
a bill was before Congress for the admission of the State 
of Louisiana into the Union. Josiah Quincy, member of 
Congress from Massachusetts, said : " I declare it as my 
deliberate opinion that, if this bill passes, the bonds of the 
Union are virtually dissolved ; and that as it will be the 
right of all the states, so it will be the duty of some, to 
prepare definitely for a separation, amicably if they can, 
violently if they must." This was the first open threat of 
disunion that was ever made in Congress. 

In 18 14, while the second war with England was going 
on, the famous Hartford Convention met at Hartford, 
Connecticut. Governor Plumer says that James Hillhouse 



NULLIFICATION AND SECESSION 189 

and Roger Griswold, both members of the convention, told 
him that they were decidedly in favor of dissolving the 
Union and establishing a " Northern Confederacy." 

In 1845 John Quincy Adams and a number of other 
northern congressmen declared that the annexation of 
Texas would be sufficient cause for the dissolution of the 
Union, and would lead to that result. The Legislature of 
Massachusetts approved these declarations, and passed 
resolutions that avowed the right of secession as a remedy 
for grievances. 

What I have told you on these subjects, and much more 
of similar kind, may be found in Cooper's Americaii Poli- 
tics, Jameson's Dictionary of Aynericaii History, Henry's 
Voice of The People, Fiske's Critical Period of America7t 
History, Hildreth's History of the United States, and other 
books of like character. I have told you these things, 
not because you like them or I like them, but because they 
are facts of history. 

The people of Tennessee were neither secessionists nor 
nullifiers. Before i860 it is very doubtful if there were 
as many as one thousand secessionists in the state, though 
the population at that time was more than one miUion. 
Tennessee had ever been conservative, loyal, and patriotic. 
She never favored any nullification or disunion schemes of 
either North or South. When the Civil War was forced 
upon the state, the people were divided in their opinions 
about their duty. The greater part of them followed the 
fortunes of the Confederacy, the smaller part adhered to 
the Union. Each followed his own convictions of duty. 
Tennessee never wished the war or helped to bring it on. 
Warlike as her sons had ever been, she tried to maintain 
peace, and took no part in the disturbances until war had 
actually begun. 



igO THE CIVIL WAR 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

J. Difference between Federalists and Anti-federalists. 

2. Chief questions upon which conflicts arose. 

3. Explain " nullification." 

4. South Carolina and Pennsylvania acts. 

5. President Jackson's course. 

6. Claims of the nullifiers respecting the Union. 

7. Explain the doctrine of secession. 

8. Valuable part of history. 

9. Books that give false ideas. 

10. Representations of the South. 

11. Southern states and northern states that have nullified. 

12. Early African slavery. 

13. Part taken by the North and the South in slave trade. 

14. Proposed Connecticut secession in 1796. 

15. Proposed New England secession in 1805. 

16. Josiah Quincy's secession threat. 

17. The Hartford Convention. 

18. John Q. Adams and Massachusetts on secession. 

19. Tennessee on nullification and secession. 

20. Division of the people of the state in Civil War. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

It is best for us now to take a brief view of the history 
of African slavery. This is necessary because slavery was 
the cause of the secession of the southern states, and 
secession was the direct cause of the Civil War. 

When the Spaniards began colonizing the West Indies 
they made slaves of many of the Indians. The Indians 
soon died out, and then negroes were brought from Africa 
to fill their places. It was quickly learned that the negroes 
were much easier civilized and made better servants than 
the Indians. The West Indies were soon stocked with 
African slaves. 

' The Dutch took up the slave trade, or business of tak- 
ing negroes from Africa to other countries to sell them 
into slavery. A slave ship would land on the coast of 
Africa, and the captain would show some negro chief a 
tempting display of red, yellow, and green cloth, some 
butcher knives, hatchets, and brass jewelry. The chief 
was a brutal savage who knew very little of the difference 
between right and wrong, and cared less than he knew. 
He wanted the gaudy things that were before his eyes, 
and would give fifty or a hundred of the people of his 
tribe for fifty dollars' worth of the slave trader's goods. 

Sometimes two African tribes would go to war. The 
victorious tribe would sell their prisoners to the traders, 
who would carry them away to other lands to be sold into 

191 



192 



THE CIVIL WAR 



slavery. Not only the Spaniards and Dutch, but nearly 
all the civilized nations of Europe engaged in this inhuman 
traffic. Many of the traders declared that it was right to 
take the negroes from their heathen homes to civilized 




Negroes Dancing 



countries where they would be taught morality and religion. 
The negro did get the teaching from humane masters, and 
if this had been the trader's purpose, his business would 
have been all right; but his real purpose was not to bene- 
fit the negro, but to make money for himself. 

In 1619 a Dutch trader brought some Africans to 
Jamestown, Virginia, and sold them to the planters there. 



CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR 



193 



This was the beginning of negro slavery in our country. 
It was soon estabUshed in all the English colonies in 
North America, and at that time was not considered 
wrong. About seventy 
years later the German 
Mennonites, a religious 
body then living in Penn- 
sylvania, began to declare 
that they thought it wrong 
to buy and sell slaves. 
This was the first protest 
against slavery in Amer- 
ica, and these people 
seemed to think it no 
wrong for persons to 
keep slaves they already 
owned. 

Within the next hun- 
dred years many people, 
both North and South, 
decided that slavery it- 
self was wrong. But 
that generation of people 
was not responsible for 
the beginning of slavery, 
and they were in some 
doubt as to what they 
ought to do. Slave labor 
was never as profitable 
in the North as in the South, therefore more people 
in the North were willing to free their negroes. The 
work of liberation went on in both sections without a halt 
until Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1792. The people 




Whitney at work on the Cotton Gin 



194 THE CIVIL WAR 

of the North had freed nearly all of their negroes or sold 
them in the South, and, after the gin was invented, they 
established factories to spin and weave cotton. The peo- 
ple of the South saw fortunes in cotton raising. They 
freed fewer negroes, and raised more cotton for the north- 
ern factories. The gin and the spinning frame are prob- 
ably the real explanation of why slavery existed longer in 
the South than in the North. 

The Northwest Territory was given to the Federal gov- 
ernment chiefly by Virginia. The "Ordinance of 1787," 
adopted by the Continental Congress for the government 
of that territory, was copied chiefly from a report which 
Thomas Jefferson had made a few years before. Jeffer- 
son's report had proposed that slavery in all the western 
territory of the United States should be prohibited after 
the year 1800. The Ordinance of 1787 provided that 
slavery should never exist in the Northwest Territory. 
This ordinance, based as we have seen on the work of a 
southern statesman and slave owner, was adopted in Con- 
gress by the vote of eight states, of which four, including 
Virginia, were southern. 

The Constitution of the United States, which went into 
effect in 1789, forbade Congress to stop the slave trade 
before 1808 (when it was stopped by act of Congress) and 
distinctly recognized the right of each state to act as it 
chose about slavery within its own limits. When Ten- 
nessee became a state in 1796 many people wished slavery 
prohibited after a certain number of years, but this was 
not put into the state constitution, and Tennessee became 
a slaveholding state in a union of partly free and partly 
slaveholding states. 

The old records of the Tennessee legislature, and of the 
county courts, show that from the organization of the 



CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR I95 

state until 1832, the work of freeing slaves and giving 
them legal privileges was continually going on. Early in 
the history of the state these affairs occupied so much of 
the time of the legislature that an act was passed, in 1801, 
transferring nearly all such business to the county courts. 
There was so much of it that the legislature could not 
attend to it. 

In 1 8 19 or 1820 Elihu Embree began the publication of a 
newspaper, at Jonesboro, Tennessee, called The Emancipa- 
tor. This was the first abolition paper ever pubUshed in 
the United States. The books that claim Benjamin Lundy 
of Ohio as the first abolition editor are wrong. Lundy did 
not begin his paper until 1821, and Embree died in 1820. 
Thus we learn that the people of Tennessee were freeing 
their own negroes and were advising others to do as they 
did. Tennessee, however, never proposed to interfere in 
the affairs of other states, or to attempt forcibly to free 
other people's negroes. 

Now it may be asked why freeing the slaves was almost 
stopped after 1840. This was caused by a set of people 
who insisted that their ideas and ways were exactly right 
and that those of every one else were wrong. One set of 
these extremists, who lived in the North and owned no 
slaves, said that Congress and the President ought to free 
all the negroes right off, without any consideration of time, 
condition, circumstances, or consequences. Congress and 
the President pointed out the fact that they were all under 
oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and 
that the plan of liberation would be in violation of the 
Constitution they had been sworn to support and defend. 

These northern people then began denouncing Congress, 
the President, the laws, the Constitution, the Union, the 
€ag, and everything else that allowed or protected slavery. 



196 THE CIVIL WAR 

They held conventions, made speeches, published news- 
papers, and printed books that declared that slavery was 
the sum of all villanies, that hell was too comfortable a 
place for a slaveholder, that the Constitution was a league 
with hell and a covenant with the devil, that the Union 
was an unholy alliance with evil that deserved the ven- 
geance of High Heaven, that the laws of Congress were 
impious and infernal and that it would be doing God's serv- 
ice to violate them, that the President of the United States 
was a slave trader and negro driver, that the flag of the 
Union was a dirty rag whose stripes represented nothing 
but negroes' scars, and a great deal more of very ugly and 
very disloyal sentiments. The lovers of the Union tried 
very hard to silence these agitators, but could not do so. 

Only a few people of the North visited the South and 
knew the real condition of affairs. A great many of them 
finally accepted as true the statements of the violent aboli- 
tionists, and gradually there grew up in the North an 
abolition political party. Demagogues and professional 
politicians then made use of the popular sentiment to get 
into office, and increased the excitement in order that they 
might stay in office. The extreme agitators circulated 
documents among the free negroes in the South advising 
them to kill the white people and free the slaves. This 
was begun at Southampton, Virginia, in 1831, and fifty- 
five persons — men, women, and children — were killed 
by negroes. 

The people of the South became alarmed. A slave- 
holders' convention met in AnnapoHs in 1842 and decided 
that if free negroes were to be made dangerous by the 
abolitionists, freeing negroes must stop, and those already 
freed must be deprived of privileges and have legal restric- 
tions put upon them. Laws were passed prohibiting 



CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR I97 

owners from freeing their slaves unless they sent them en- 
tirely out of the state. Few owners were able to set their 
negroes free and then pay their expenses to some other 
country, therefore emancipation was practically ended by 
the overzealous abolitionists. 

While the abolitionists were preaching their doctrines on 
every street corner, and advising murder as a remedy for 
wrong, there grew up an extreme party in the South. 
They declared that they had, or ought to have, the right to 
carry their slaves into any state or territory of the Union 
whether the people Uving there wanted them or not ; that 
negroes were created to be made slaves ; that the African 
slave trade ought to be reopened ; that the Union only pro- 
tected abolition fanatics and robbed the South of her rights ; 
that any state had a right to secede, and the Union ought 
to be dissolved ; that they wished all the abolitionists were 
collected in New England, and New England were in hell, 
and ever so many more things that nobody ought to have 
said. 

The extreme men met in Congress and quarreled and 
fought over the slavery question, until Union men in every 
section of the country became seriously alarmed at the 
turn affairs were taking. The whole question was thought 
to have been settled by the Missouri Compromise in 1820, 
but the agitators paid no attention to this. There were 
furious debates and threats of secession over the admis- 
sion of Texas in 1845, the admission of California in 1850, 
the Kansas-Nebraska Bill in 1854. Then came the Dred 
Scott Decision in 1857 and John Brown's Raid in 1859. 
By this time the people of the United States were excited 
to a dangerous degree on the slavery question. 

In i860 there were four candidates for President: 
Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois and John C. Brecken- 



198 THE CIVIL WAR 

ridge of Kentucky, both Democrats ; Abraham Lincoln 
of Illinois, Republican ; John Bell of Tennessee, Constitu- 
tional Union candidate. Tennessee voted for Bell, but 
Lincoln was elected. Some of the southern states decided 
that they would not be safe in the Union with a sectional 
President. South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, 
Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded, and organized the 
Confederate States government at Montgomery, Alabama, 
February 4, 1861. This was exactly one month before 
President Lincoln went into office. 




Fort Sumter 

Governor Harris called an extra session of the Tennes- 
see Legislature to meet January 7, 1861. This legislature 
passed a resolution asking the people to vote, on the 9th 
of February, for or against a convention to consider the 
secession of Tennessee from the Union. The people 
voted against the proposition, the majority being nearly 
four to one. When President Lincoln went into office, 
March 4, 1861, he declared that he had no right to inter- 
fere with slavery in the states, and no desire to do so. 
This made the people better pleased with their union 
vote in February. 

April 12, 1 86 1, the South Carolina soldiers attacked 
Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, and forced the 
United States garrison to surrender the fort. Three days 



CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR IC^ 

later President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand 
soldiers to force the seceded states back under the author- 
ity of the Union. This action meant war, and in anger 
and sorrow the people of Tennessee saw that they would 
be forced to take part in it. 

President Lincoln called for soldiers from Tennessee. 
Governor Harris refused to send them, and said that if 
Tennessee must fight she would fight with the South. 
The legislature was called together April 25, passed an 
ordinance of secession May i, and submitted it to a vote 
of the people June 8. So great had been the change of 
opinion that at this election the majority in favor of seces- 
sion was more than two to one. This settled the question, 
and July 2, Tennessee joined the Confederacy. She was 
the last state to secede, and had clung to the Union as 
long as there was any hope of peace. A majority of the 
people of East Tennessee adhered to the Union to the 
last, and petitioned the legislature to allow them to form 
a separate state. The request was refused. 

For the Civil War the Federals enhsted 2,778,304 men ; 
the Confederates enlisted about 600,000 men. Tennessee 
furnished 30,000 soldiers for the Federal Army, and 100,000 
for the Confederate Army. This was nearly one ninth of 
the whole population of the state. True to the heroic 
traditions of their ancestors, the Tennesseeans bore them- 
selves throughout the war as among the best and bravest 
in that long and bloody struggle. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Direct cause of the Civil War. 

2. Slavery in the West India Islands. 

3. Dutch slave traders. 

4. Two ways of obtaining negroes in Africa. 



200 THE CIVIL WAR 

5. Nations engaged in the slave trade. 

6. Moral benefits in the slave trade. 

7. What makes the dilTerence between moral good and evil in an action ? 

8. Introduction of slavery into the English colonies of America. 

9. First protest against slavery in America. 

10. Opinions on slavery about 1760. 

11. More freeing of slaves in the North than in the South. 

12. Effect of the cotton gin and spinning frame. 

13. The Ordinance of 1787. 

14. Provisions about slavery in the Constitution of the United States. 

15. Tennessee's position in the American Union. 

16. The old records of the legislature and the county courts. 

17. The act of 1801. 

18. The first abolition paper in the United States. 

19. Principles and actions of the people in Tennessee about slavery. 

20. What caused the suspension of freeing the negroes ? 

21. Demands on the President and Congress. Reply. 

22. Abuse from the extreme abolitionists. 

23. Efforts of the lovers of the Union. 

24. Growth of abolition political party. 

25. The Southampton affair. 

26. The slaveholders' convention. 

2^]. Laws passed in some states of the South. 

28. The extreme agitators in the South. 

29. The sectional quarrel in Congress. 

30. On Missouri Compromise. Annexation of Texas, &c., consult a his- 

tory of the United States, and get explanations from your teacher 

31. The election of President in i860. 

32. Action of certain southern states. 

33. Extra session of the Tennessee Legislature, January 7, 1861. 

34. What did the vote of February 9 show ? 

35. President Lincoln's declaration about slavery. 

36. The attack on Fort Sumter and its result. 

37. Governor Harris's reply to President Lincoln's call for troop.s. 

38. Extra session of the Tennessee Legislature, April 25, 1861. 

39. What did the vote of June 8 show.'' 

40. Action of East Tennessee. 

41. Federal and Confederate armies. 

42. Tennessee's troops in each army. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 



THE BATTLE GROUND 



From May, 1861, to May, 1865, little was done, talked 
01, or thought of in Tennessee except war. Early in 1861 
every county seat 
became a mili- 
tary camp. The 
lawyers and doc- 
tors left their 
offices, the mer- 
chants and me- 
chanics left their 
stores and shops, 
the farmers and 
laborers left the 
fields, the young 
men left the col- 
leges, - — all that 
were fit for mili- 
tary service 
joined the army. 
Guns, pistols, and 
swords of all kinds were brought out and furbished up for 
use. Lead mines and saltpeter mines were opened and 
worked. Mechanics who had enlisted in the army were 
detailed to make more weapons. Everywhere resounded 
t-he preparations for a fierce and bloody war. 

TENN. HIST. — 13 201 





Federal Soldier 



Confederate Soldier 



202 THE CIVIL WAR 

Major General Gideon J. Pillow was appointed com- 
mander of the army of the state, with headquarters at 
Memphis. Brigadier General B. F. Cheatham was put in 
command of the Department of West Tennessee, with 
headquarters at Union City ; Major General S. R. Ander- 
son in command of the Department of Middle Tennessee, 
with headquarters at Nashville ; Brigadier General W. R. 
Caswell in command of the Department of East Tennes- 
see, with headquarters at Knoxville. This arrangement 
continued until the troops were organized and transferred 
to the Confederate service. President Davis of the Con- 
federacy then appointed General Leonidas Polk to command 
in Tennessee, and General Pillow was given command of 
a division in the Confederate Army. 

About the middle of September, 1861, General Albert 
Sidney Johnston was placed in command of the Western 
Department. He arranged a line of defenses to keep the 
Federal troops out of Tennessee. 

1. General Felix K. Zollicoffer was sent to Cumberland 
Gap and fortified a camp on Fishing Creek. 

2. General William J. Hardee occupied Bowling Green, 
Kentucky, where General Johnston made his head- 
quarters. 

3. General Simon B. Buckner was sent from BowHng 
Green to Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River, near 
Dover, and a strong fort was built there. 

4. Fort Henry was hurriedly and imperfectly con- 
structed on the Tennessee, about eleven or twelve miles 
from Fort Donelson, and placed under command of Gen- 
eral Lloyd Tilghman. 

5. Columbus, Kentucky, was seized and strongly forti- 
fied by General Polk to guard the Mississippi River. 

6. As an additional protection for the Mississippi. Fort 




THE BATTLE GROUND 203 

Pillow was built at Randolph, and Island No. lo was 
fortified and garrisoned by General Mackall. The islands 
in the Mississippi River are numbered from the mouth of 
the Ohio southward, and Number lo is near the town of 
New Madrid, Missouri. 

There were some changes of commanders at these 
places, but very early in the war this was the arrangement. 
These forts and camps formed a long 
line extending from Cumberland Gap 
to the Mississippi River at Columbus, 
and down that river nearly to Mem- \^R^£^ "Xis 
phis. There were not men enough 
nor cannon enough at any of these 
places to hold them against a strong 
force. Many of the soldiers were 

- Ill Confederate Flag 

very poorly armed, and the posts, ex- 
cept Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, were too far apart to 
help one another. 

The Federal forces were gathered at Cairo, Illinois, and 
at Louisville, Kentucky, and prepared to break through 
the Confederate line. November 7, 1861, General Grant 
of the Federal Army tried to capture a part of General 
Polk's forces, which had crossed the river from Columbus to 
Belmont. Grant was defeated and went back to Cairo. 
January 19, 1862, General Thomas of the Federal Army 
defeated General Zollicoffer's army at Mill Springs, near 
Cumberland Gap. ZolHcoffer was killed, and Cumberland 
Gap was lost. February 6, Fort Henry was easily taken. 
February 16, after five days' hard fighting, Fort Donelson 
was surrendered to General Grant with fifteen thousand 
Confederate soldiers. 

General Johnston withdrew his forces from Bowling 
Green, and Columbus to Corinth, Mississippi, and collected 



204 THE CIVIL WAR 

some small commands from other places. Nearly all of 
Tennessee was at once occupied by Federal soldiers. 
General Grant moved his forces up the Tennessee River 
to Pittsburg Landing, on the west side of the river, a short 
distance above Savannah, and waited for General Buel's 
force from Nashville to join him. April 6, 1862, Johnston 
attacked him in his camp and routed his army. Johnston 
was killed in the afternoon, and his successor, Beauregard, 
stopped the battle. That night Buel arrived, and next day 
Beauregard's army was driven back to Corinth. 

This was one of the great battles fought on Tennessee 
soil, and is called the battle of Shiloh because it was fought 
around Shiloh church. Island No. 10 was captured April 
8, Fort Pillow was abandoned June i, and a week later the 
Confederate gunboats at Memphis were destroyed by the 
Federal fleet, and the city surrendered. The whole of 
the original line of Confederate defenses had been wiped 
out, and the Federal Army was in possession of all of 
Tennessee except the southeastern part. 

After March 5, 1862, Andrew Johnson was no longer a 
United States senator. President Lincoln appointed him 
Military Governor of Tennessee. He came to Nashville 
and tried to get the people of the state to come back under 
the authority of the Union. Very few of them would have 
anything to do with his plans, and about all that he accom- 
pUshed had to be done by force. This really served no 
good purpose at all. 

In the summer of 1862 General Beauregard was removed 
from the command of the Western Confederate Army, and 
General Braxton Bragg took command. He moved the 
army from Mississippi to Chattanooga and marched into 
Kentucky. He captured Cumberland Gap, defeated the 
Federal Army at Richmond, Kentucky, loaded a train of 



THE BATTLE GROUND 



205 



wagons nearly thirty miles long with provisions and army 
supplies captured from the Federals, and fought a battle 
at Perryville, Kentucky, in which he was worsted, but 
which saved his wagon train. He then retreated into 
Tennessee and established winter quarters at Murfreesboro. 
Here, December 31, 1862, and January 2, 1863, another 
great battle was fought. The Confederates won the first 
day, the Federals the second. Neither seemed to have 
gained anything. The Confederates went leisurely to 
Shelbyville ; the Federals remained where they were. 




Lookout Mountain (as seen from Chattanooga) 

In June the Federals moved out to attack Bragg. He 
slowly retreated to Chattanooga. September 19 and 20, 
1863, a desperate battle was fought along Chickamauga 
Creek. The Federals were defeated and driven back into 
Chattanooga. Bragg occupied Missionary Ridge and 
Lookout Mountain, and was about to starve the Feder- 
als into surrender when Grant came to their relief with 
reenforcements. 



206 THE CIVIL WAR 

October 25, General Grant drove Bragg from the Moun- 
tain and the Ridge after two bloody battles. The Con- 
federate Army retreated to Dalton, Georgia ; the Federals 
remained at Chattanooga until the next spring. The 
armies of Burnside and Longstreet fought two hard battles 
at Knoxville, November 28 and 29, 1863, in which the 
Federals were successful in holding the city against the 
Confederate attack. 

After many battles and skirmishes in Georgia, during 
the spring and summer of 1864, General Hood was put in 
command of the Confederate Army. He marched the 
army back into Tennessee, and November 30 fought the 
desperate battle of Franklin. The Federals were defeated 
and retreated to Nashville, but the victory had been won 
at terrible cost. In proportion to the number engaged, 
more men were killed in this battle than in any other 
fought in the state. 

Hood followed the Federals to Nashville, and December 
15 and 16, 1864, the battle of Nashville was fought. The 
first day the Confederates held their own, the next day 
they were totally defeated. This was the last great battle 
fought in the state. 

The thirteen battles that have been mentioned were only 
the great contests in which large armies were engaged ; 
there were other smaller battles fought within or near the 
borders of our state, and many of them were of great im- 
portance in prolonging or deciding the war. The State of 
Tennessee was really a battle ground from 1861 to 1865. 
On April 9, 1865, General Lee surrendered in Virginia, 
and the long Civil War was ended. The Confederate 
Army had been literally worn out by the superior power 
of the Union in men, money, and war supplies of every 
kind. 



THE BATTLE GROUND 207 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Forming an army in Tennessee in i86l. 

2. Arming the soldiers. 

3. State commanders. 

4. Transfer to Confederate service. 

5. The line of defenses. 

6. The islands in the Mississippi. 

7. Weakness of the line of defenses. 

8. Battle of Belmont. 

9. Mill Springs, and results. 

10. Capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. Result. 

11. Next move of General Johnston and of General Grant. 

12. Battle of Shiloh. 

13. Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, and Memphis. 

14. Andrew Johnson as mihtary governor. 

15. Bragg's expedition into Kentucky. 

16. Battle of Murfreesboro. 

17. Battle of Chickamauga. 

18. Condition and rescue of the Federal army. 

19. Battles of Missionary Ridge and of Lookout Mountain. 

20. Campaign in Georgia and new Confederate commander. 

21 . The battle of Franklin. 

22. The last great battle in the state. 

23. The minor engagements. 

24. The end of the fighting. 



CHAPTER XXIX 

FAMOUS TENNESSEEANS 

In this chapter will be given brief sketches of persons 
who became famous in adventure, war, politics, or any other 
walk of life, but whose names do not appear in the official 
list of the state's distinguished people. 

"Filibusters" is a name applied to citizens of a country 
who try to interfere by force of arms in the affairs of 

another country that is on 
friendly terms with their 
own government. The 
name is Spanish, and in the 
sixteenth century meant 
the pirates or sea robbers 
of the Gulf of Mexico and 
the Caribbean Sea. 

The most famous filibus- 
ter of the United States 
was a Tennesseean, — 
William Walker. He was 
born in Nashville in 1824. 
He studied law, then medi- 
cine, then edited a newspaper in New Orleans and after- 
ward in San Francisco. He then practiced law for a while 
in California, but it was too quiet and tame a business to 
suit his taste. In 1853 he organized an expedition against 
Sonora, Mexico, but failed and surrendered to the United 
States officers at San Diego. Nothing could be proved 

208 




William Walker 



FAMOUS TENNESSEEANS 



209 



against him, and he was released. Two years later he in- 
vaded Nicaragua, conquered the country, and had himself 
elected president. In a short time he was driven out by 
an insurrection and returned to the United States. In 1857 
and in 1858 he tried to go back to Nicaragua, but was pre- 
vented by United States officials. In i860 he went with 
an armed expedition against Honduras, but was captured 
and, by order of the president of that state, was shot. 

As lawyer, doctor, editor, soldier, diplomat, and adven- 
turer William Walker was one of the most remarkable 
men the state has produced. His career is not worthy of 
imitation, but it shows wonderful courage and great versa- 
tility of talent. 

Gideon Johnson Pillow was born in Williamson County, 
Tennessee, in 1806. He was educated at the University 
of Nashville, studied law, and 
began practice at Columbia. 
He was one of the delegates 
to the Democratic convention 
that nominated James K. Polk 
for President in 1844. In 
1846 he was appointed briga- 
dier general of volunteers to 
serve in the Mexican War. 
For gallant service he was 
promoted to the rank of ma- 
jor general in 1847, ^.nd was 
severely wounded at Chapul- 
tepec. At the close of the 
Mexican War he resumed the practice of law at Columbia. 
In 1852 he received twenty-five votes in the Democratic 
convention for the nomination to the office of Vice Presi- 
dent. When the Civil War began he entered the Confed- 




Gideon Johnson Pillow 



2IO 



THE CIVIL WAR 



erate Army and was made a brigadier general and served 
in the Western Department. After the close of the war he 
practiced law in Memphis and managed an extensive cot- 
ton plantation in Arkansas. He died in 1878. 

Leonidas Polk was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 
1804. He was educated at the United States Military 
Academy at West Point, graduating in 1827. He re- 
signed his commission in the 
army, studied for holy orders, 
and was ordained a minister in 
the Episcopal Church in 183 1. 
After a short period of service 
in Richmond, Virginia, he trav- 
eled abroad and then moved 
to Columbia, Tennessee. In 
1838 he was made a bishop. 
Three years later he mioved to 
Louisiana, and in 1856 began 
the greatest work of his life by 
giving his active aid in found- 
ing the University of the South 
His name will be associated with 
this great school when all his other services are forgotten. 
When the Civil War began. Bishop Polk was made a 
major general in the Confederate Army. In 1862 he was 
promoted to be lieutenant general. He is said to have 
disobeyed orders at the battle of Chickamauga and was 
therefore relieved from command and transferred to an- 
other department. After some distinguished services in 
his new field he was restored to his old command, and 
took part in the campaign between Chattanooga and 
Atlanta. In June, 1864, he was killed by a cannon shot 
while inspecting a fort near Marietta, Georgia. 




Leonidas Polk 



at Sewanee, Tennessee. 



FAMOUS TENNESSEEANS 



211 



Benjamin Franklin Cheatham was born at Nashville in 
1820. At twenty-six years of age he entered the army for 
service in the Mexican War. As captain and colonel he 
won fame in this war and at its close was appointed major 
general of Tennessee volunteers. In 1849 he went with 
the great throng of fortune 
hunters to the gold fields 
of California, but soon re- 
turned to Tennessee. At 
the beginning of the Civil 
War he was made a briga- 
dier general in the Con- 
federate Army and served 
with distinguished honor 
throughout the war, rising 
to the rank of major gen- 
eral. He was a stern, hard 
fighter, but a kind man, 
much beloved by his sol- 
diers, who affectionately called him 
course they never used this title in speaking to their gen- 
eral, but around their camp fires they rarely gave him any 
other. It is a custom among soldiers to nickname the 
commanders they love. 

After the Civil War General Cheatham returned to 
Nashville. When General Grant became President he 
offered General Cheatham an appointment in the civil 
service of the United States, but Cheatham did not accept 
it. The two men were warm personal friends, though 
they had taken opposite sides in the war. In 1872 Gen- 
eral Cheatham, Andrew Johnson, and Horace Maynard 
were candidates for congressman at large. That is, Ten- 
nessee was entitled to one more representative in Congress 




Benjamin Franklin Cheatham 

Old Frank." Of 



212 



THE CIVIL WAR 



than there were districts in the state, so one representative 
had to be elected by the votes of all the people of the 
state. Maynard was elected. In 1875 Cheatham was 
made Superintendent of State Prisons, and held the posi- 
tion for four years. In 1885 he was appointed postmas- 
ter at Nashville, but died in September, 1886. 

Nathan Bedford Forrest was born in Bedford County, 
Tennessee, in 182 1. Of his youth we know very little. 

In 1842 he moved to Her- 
nando, Mississippi, and be- 
came a cotton planter. Ten 
years afterward he was liv- 
ing in Memphis. In 1861 
he joined the Confederate 
Army, and served through- 
out the war, rising steadily 
in rank until he became a 
lieutenant general. He was 
a military genius, and per- 
haps the greatest soldier 
that Tennessee has ever pro- 
duced. Without military 
education or training he be- 
came one of the greatest commanders of the war. He 
never lost a battle that he had planned himself, and never 
allowed his army to be surprised and forced to fight at 
disadvantage. He failed a few times under orders of 
other commanders. The story of all his daring and bril- 
liant feats would be as thrilling as the wildest tales of the 
Scottish border. 

After the Civil War General Forrest devoted himself to 
business in Memphis, and became president of the Mem- 
phis and Selma Railroad. He died in October, 1877. 







Nathan Bedford Forrest 



FAMOUS TENNESSEEANS 



213 




Matthew Fontaine Maury 



Matthew Fontaine Maury was born in Virginia in 1806, 
but was reared and educated in Tennessee. In 1825 he 
entered the United States navy. While other young offi- 
cers were frolicking, Maury 
would be drawing chalk 
figures on cannon balls to 
help him in learning the 
problems of navigation. 
In 1827 he made a cruise 
around the world, and gained 
a personal knowledge of 
countries and people that 
afterward made his geogra- 
phies such charming books. 
In 183 1 he was made com- 
mander of the ship Fal- 
tnouth, and ordered to the 
Pacific Ocean. In 1834 he pubUshed his book on navi- 
gation, which was made the text for study at the Naval 
Academy. In 1837 he had a fall which broke his right 
leg at the knee, and made him a cripple for life. After 
this accident he was assigned to shore duty at Washington. 

Maury made important reforms in the navy, established 
the National Observatory, directed the soundings of the 
sea that resulted in the laying of ocean cables, or subma- 
rine telegraph lines, started the signal service and weather 
bureau, wrote a physical geography of the sea, and a series 
of geographies for use in schools. He has added more 
to our scientific knowledge of the sea and the winds than 
any other man that has ever lived. When the Civil War be- 
gan he took part with the Confederacy. He died in 1877. 

David Glascoe Farragut was born in Knox County, Ten- 
nessee, in 1 80 1. When nine years old he was put into the 



214 



THE CIVIL WAR 



United States Navy to be trained for a naval officer. Like 
Maury, he attended to his business, — studied and worked 
well. As a boy he took part in the war with England in 
1812, and afterward, as he rose in rank, saw much service 

at many naval stations at 
home and abroad. In 
1861 he adhered to the 
Union, and was sent to 
the Gulf of Mexico to as- 
sist in the blockade of the 
southern ports. He soon 
showed himself to be the 
ablest officer in the navy. 
In April, 1862, he went 
up the Mississippi River 
and captured New Or- 
leans, though it was well 
defended by forts, gun- 
boats, and floating bat- 
teries. In 1864 he fought 
the fiercest naval battle of the war except one, and cap- 
tured the city of Mobile. In recognition of distinguished 
services Congress created for him the special rank of 
vice admiral. Only the most prominent of his actions 
have been mentioned. He is considered the greatest of^ 
all the American commanders on the ocean. He died 
in 1870. 

Alexander P. Stewart was born in Rogersville, Tennessee, 
October 2, 1821. In his early boyhood his parents moved 
to Winchester, Tennessee, whence he was sent in 1838 to 
be educated in the United States MiHtary Academy at 
West Point. From this school he graduated in 1842, in 
the same class with General W. S. Rosecrans, General 




David Glascoe Farragut 



FAMOUS TENNESSEEANS 



215 




John Pope, and General John Newton of the Federal Army, 
and General Gustavus W. Smith and General James Long- 
street of the Confederate Army. After graduating he 
served one year in the artillery, and was then sent to West 
Point as a teacher of mathematics. After teaching two 
years in the Military Academy he resigned from the army 
and accepted a professorship in Cumberland University. 
Later, he became a member 
of the faculty of the Uni- 
versity of Nashville, and 
occupied this position until 
the beginning of the Civil 
War. He entered the Con- 
federate Army as Major of 
Artillery and rose steadily 
to the rank of Lieutenant 
General, the highest except 
one in the service. 

At the close of the war 
General Stewart returned to 
Lebanon and again became 
a professor in Cumberland 
University. In 1874 he was 

elected President of the University of Mississippi at Ox- 
ford, where he remained for twelve years. In 1890 the 
United States Congress passed an act to make a National 
Military Park of the battle fields around Chattanooga and 
at Chickamauga. General Stewart was appointed one of 
the commissioners to take charge of this work and held 
that position until his death in 1908. 

From the battle of Belmont, Missouri, in November, 
1 86 1, to the battle at Coe's Farm, North Carolina, April, 
1865, General Stewart took part in all the campaigns of 




General Alex. P. Stewart 



2l6 



THE CIVIL WAR 



the Army of Tennessee. He never failed to distinguish 
himself as a brave, prudent, trustworthy officer. He was 
the highest in rank of Confederate generals at the time of 
his death. In civil affairs he was an able and capable 
man, and in every walk of life a gentleman. 

Edward Ward Carmack was born near Castalian Springs 
in Sumner County, Tennessee, November 5, 1858. He 

was educated at the Webb 



School, then located at Cul- 
leoka, now at Bellbuckle, 
Tennessee. He studied law 
and began practice in Colum- 
bia, and in 1884 was elected 
representative of Maury and 
Williamson Counties in the 
Genera] Assembly of Ten- 
-^^ I '^^^H nessee. In 1886 he became 
'^ ^m \ 3 . ^^^1 one of the editorial staff of 

^tfi^^^M^ - ^fl^jjKm^ \.h.Q Nas/iville Aine7icaii, 2iX\d 
^^^^g ^H^fl| in 1888 editor-in-chief of the 

^^^^B ^^^^^H^l NasJiville Democrat. When 

^^^^K ^^^^^^^^^k this paper was united with the 

American Mr. Carmack was 

Edward Ward Carmack , i • , i-^ r ._i 

made chief editor of the com- 
bined papers. In April, 1890, he married Miss Elizabeth 
Dunnington, of Columbia. In 1892 he moved to Memphis 
to become editor of the MempJiis Commercial, which was 
afterward combined with the Appeal, Mr. Carmack becom- 
ing editor-in-chief of the Commercial Appeal. 

In 1896 he was elected representative in Congress from 
the loth Congressional District and served two terms. In 
1900 he was sent to the United States Senate and served 
one term, being defeated for reelection by Hon. Robert 



FAMOUS TENNESSEEANS 2 1 6a 

L. Taylor. In 1908 he canvassed the state with Governor 
Patterson for the Democratic nomination for governor, but 
was defeated. He then became editor-in-chief of the Nash- 
ville Tcjiiiesseean. 

He was an honest, fearless man with characteristics that 
made for him many devoted friends and many bitter 
enemies. He made himself famous in the editorial chair 
and in the halls of Congress, and was considered one of the 
most brilliant and versatile men the state has ever pro- 
duced. He was killed on Seventh Avenue in Nashville by 
Duncan B. Cooper and his son, Robin Cooper, November 
9, 1908. The Coopers were tried for murder and sen- 
tenced to serve twenty years each in the penitentiary.* The 
cause given at the trial for the origin of the difficulty was 
offensive editorials that had been published in the Nash- 
ville Tennesseean. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

Make a list of the nine Tennesseeans described in this chapter. 
Study each carefully, and see what you can learn of these famous 
men from other sources as well as from these short sketches. 

* The Coopers appealed to the Supreme Court. Robin Cooper's trial was 
decided to have been technically wrong and was sent back to the lower court 
for retrial. Duncan B. Cooper's sentence was decided to be right, but he 
was pardoned by Governor Patterson as soon as notice was received of the 
decree of the Supreme Court. 



TENN. HIST. — 14 



Period V. 1865- 1909 
rHE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



CHAPTER XXX 

DOMESTIC RECONSTRUCTION 

The years that immediately followed the close of the 
Civil War were years of strife and gloom. The Union 
men thought that they had been badly treated by the Con- 
federates, and the Confederates thought they had been 
shamefully wronged by the Union men. Each party was 
angry and defiant. 

The battles and raids and marches, to and fro, of both 
armies had destroyed millions of dollars' worth of prop- 
erty. The horses and mules had been taken by the sol- 
diers for use in the army, hogs and cattle had been killed" 
for meat, grain and hay had been wasted and hauled away, 
stores and residences had been robbed and burned, wagons 
and farming tools had been destroyed, the people had very 
little money to buy anything and were almost without 
clothing and food. 

The negroes had been told that they were going to be 
set free and, in their childish way of thinking, they con- 
sidered that freedom meant freedom from work. So most 
of them, especially the young and thoughtless, quit work 
and started out in quest of pleasure. 

217 



2l8 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

The four years of war had broken up the courts and 
almost destroyed the whole force of civil law. Worthless 
and vicious men had discovered that they could do almost 
as they pleased if they kept themselves out of the hands 
of army officers, and they were very careful to do chat. 
They roamed over the country, insulting, abusing, and rob- 
bing people, until no one felt safe even in his own house. 

Thousands of the bravest and best men of the state had 
been killed in battle, and thousands more were maimed for 
life. Widows, orphans, and desolate homes were seen all 
over the land. Churches and schoolhouses had been con- 
verted into hospitals and many of them burned, when 
abandoned, sometimes to prevent the spreading of dis- 
eases, sometimes out of genuine meanness. Everywhere 
were ashes, desolation, and grief. 

This is a dark picture of the conditions in Tennessee 
in the spring of 1865, but it is a correct one for most of 
the state. The people, however, were not of a stock to 
sit down and give themselves up to despair. They went 
to work as best they could to ** reconstruct " their fortunes. 
Men with one arm or one leg hitched a little ox to the 
plow, if they could not get a horse or a mule, and made a 
crop. Everybody went to work, cotton was at a very high 
price, and in the fall the people had some money ; mer- 
chants began to bring in goods, mechanics opened shops, 
and all branches of business began to revive. The negroes 
soon learned that they could not live on freedom and the 
talk of demagogues and carpetbaggers, and they went to 
work. Their labor aided materially in the return of 
prosperity. 

These results were obtained slowly and in the midst of 
difficulties. The war left few people in the state with any 
property except their land. The social and industrial 



DOMESTIC RECONSTRUCriON 219 

organization of the country had to be " reconstructed." 
In other words, the people had to begin life anew, very 
much as their pioneer ancestors had done when they 
entered the state, but under very different conditions. 

Between 1865 and 1870, in spite of financial ruin, ill- 
judged national legislation, and the most perplexing and 
complicated domestic problems, the men and women of 
Tennessee succeeded in starting the revival of the fallen 
fortunes of their state. This was done, too, under politi- 
cal conditions that were a strange compound of civil law, 
anarchy, and military despotism. 

It is very hard for people who did not live in that period 
to understand the conditions. We must remember that 
part of the people of Tennessee had been for the Union 
and part for the Confederacy. Where all, or very nearly 
all, of the people had been for the Union, law and order 
were soon restored. The same was true where all had 
been for the Confederacy. In sections where the people 
were divided in opinion the bitterness and rancor of party 
feeling caused trouble. Lawless characters took advan- 
tage of this, and stirred up strife for their own selfish ends. 
There were some sections of this kind where only military 
force could have kept the peace. The military force, how- 
ever, was not always wisely used, and in some instances 
its presence produced only anger and defiance of law. 
Thus we see that in some parts of the state there was 
quiet civil law ; in some, military authority ; and in some, 
very little government of any kind. 

The pioneers of Tennessee were a brave, patient, hardy 
race of whom their descendants are justly proud. The 
present generation of boys and girls in Tennessee have as 
just cause for pride in their parents and grandparents of 
the war and the *' Reconstruction Period." They faced 



220 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

dangers that were as great and difficulties as serious as 
any that ever tried the souls of the pioneers. They met 
every trial with a courage and fortitude worthy of their 
heroic ancestors, and have left to their children an inheri- 
tance of immortal fame. 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. When did the Civil War begin and when did it end ? 

2. Views of Confederates and Unionists. 

3. Destruction of property by the war. 

4. The negroes and freedom. 

5. Effects of the war on civil government. 

6. The killed and maimed. 

7. Churches and schoolhouses. 

8. The dark picture. 

9. Spirit of the people. 

10. Effects of the first crop. 

1 1 . Change in the negroes' opinions. 

12. Property after the war. 

13. Domestic ''reconstruction." 

14. Conditions between 1865 and 1870. 

15. Division of the people in Tennessee. 

16. Quiet sections of the country. 

17. Disturbed sections. 

18 The people of i860 to 1870 compared with the pioneers. 



CHAPTER XXXI 

POLITICAL RECONSTRUCTION 

From 1862 to March 4, 1865, Andrew Johnson was 
Military Governor of Tennessee. In January, 1864, he 
tried to restore civil government in the state under Federal 
authority. He ordered an election of county officers in all 
of the counties that were under control of the Federal 
Army, but the people refused to vote or to take any part in 
this scheme, and the election was a total failure. 

In November, 1864, a President and a Vice President of 
the United States were to be elected. Lincoln and John- 
son were the candidates of the Republican party, and 
McClellan and Pendleton of the Democratic party. In 
September, 1864, a Union convention met at Nashville 
and nominated Lincoln and Johnson electors for the state. 
They prescribed an oath to be taken by all voters, and 
called a mass meeting of the Union men of the state for 
January 9, 1865, to select delegates to a convention to 
revise the constitution of Tennessee. 

The Democratic electors objected to the oath prescribed 
by the Nashville Convention and withdrew their names 
from the contest. The Republican electors received all 
the votes that were cast, but the vote of Tennessee was not 
counted in the Presidential election of 1864, though a 
Tennesseean was elected Vice President. 

The revision convention met as provided, and adopted 
a number of amendments to the constitution of the state, 

221 



222 



THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



among them one forever abolishing slavery. These 
amendments were submitted to a vote of the people and 
ratified February 22, 1865. The thirteenth amendment to 
the Constitution of the United States, abolishing slavery, 
was not adopted until December 18, 1865, and President 
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, of January i, 1863, 
did not include Tennessee. Tennessee freed her own 
negroes. Neither Lincoln's proclamation nor the thir- 
teenth amendment had any part in it, and the real emanci- 
pation day in Tennessee is the anniversary of Washington's 
birthday. 

An election for state officers under the amended consti- 
tution was provided for by the convention, and members 
of the legislature were elected March 4, 1865, and WiUiam 

G. Brownlow was elected 
governor. 

William Gannaway 
Brownlow was born in Vir- 
ginia in 1805, He learned 
the trade of a house car- 
penter, but abandoned it 
early in life and became a 
Methodist minister. In 
1828 he came to Tennes- 
see, and in 1839 became a 
local preacher at Jonesboro 
and editor of TJic Whig. 
He moved to Knoxville, 
transferred TJie WJiig to 
that city, and continued its publication until the begin- 
ning of the war. This paper had a very large circulation 
and was one of the most independent, sarcastic, and abusive 
newspapers ever published in the state. Mr. Brownlow 




William Gannaway Brownlow 



POLITICAL RECONSTRUCTION 223 

preached many sermons, defended the institution of slavery 
in debate, ran for Congress against Andrew Johnson in 1843 
and was defeated, wrote several books, the most famous of 
which is called Parson Brownlow's Book. In this he gives 
his unpleasant experiences with the Confederates and his 
views on secession and the war. He was in every fiber a 
southern Union man, and regarded secession as both fool- 
ish and wicked. He was a member of the convention that 
revised the constitution of the state, was elected Governor 
of Tennessee in 1865, and again in 1867. In 1869 he was 
sent to the United States Senate, where he remained until 
1875. He died at Knoxville in April, 1877. 

The four years from 1865 to 1869 have generally been 
called the " Brownlow Period." It was the time of " Re- 
construction," and exhibited in its details almost every 
phase of the stormiest revolutionary tendencies, and the 
vilest political and personal animosities. All persons who 
had either directly or indirectly taken any part in the war 
against the Union, or who had in any way given aid or 
sympathy to the Confederacy, were not allowed to vote at 
any election. This placed the control of the state in the 
hands of a minority of the people. 

In East Tennessee the voters were usually good and 
respectable citizens. In the other divisions of the state 
this was true to a limited extent, but a majority of those 
allowed to vote in Middle and West Tennessee constituted 
an "unsavory lot." The legislature passed "franchise 
acts " which gave the governor almost unlimited control 
of elections, and authorized him to use the military power 
of the state to enforce these acts. Those who were not 
allowed to vote became indignant and defiant, and opposed 
and embarrassed the state government in every possible 
way. 



224 



THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



A part of the Union men advocated a more liberal policy 
and were called Conservatives ; the others were called 
Radicals. In 1867 the Radicals nominated Governor 
Brownlow for reelection ; the Conservatives nominated 
Emerson Etheridge. The Conservative nomination was 
useless. The legislature had given the governor all 
power over elections, and he issued a proclamation which 
plainly showed that he intended to use it for the purpose 
of having himself reelected. After a short canvass, in 
which there was more personal abuse, fighting, lynching, 
and violence of every kind than was ever before known 
in the state, Etheridge withdrew and Governor Brownlow 
was elected. 

Emerson Etheridge was born in North Carolina in 18 19, 
and came to Tennessee when a boy. He began the prac- 
tice of law in 1840. In 
1845 he was elected mem- 
ber of the legislature from 
Weakley County. He 
was a Whig member of 
Congress from 1853 to 
1857. In 1857 he was 
defeated by the Demo- 
cratic candidate, J. D. C. 
Atkins, but in 1859 de- 
feated Atkins. When 
the troubles arose be- 
tween the states he was 
a decided Union man and 
did all in his power to 
keep Tennessee from seceding. From 1861 to 1863 he 
was clerk of the House of Representatives at Washington. 
In 1867 he was a candidate for governor, but withdrew 




Emerson Etheridge 



POLITICAL RECONSTRUCTION 22 5 

before the election. In 1869 he was sent from Weakley 
County to the state Senate. In 1878 he was offered the 
Republican nomination for the governorship, but declined 
it. He died on his farm near Dresden in 1902. 

In February, 1869, Governor Brownlow was chosen 
United States senator. D. W. C. Senter, speaker of the 
state Senate, became governor by succession until the 
election in August of that year. In May, 1869, the Re- 
publican convention disagreed, just as they had done in 
1867. 

The Conservatives nominated Senter for governor, and 
the Radicals WiUiam B. Stokes. Senter now had the 
same power that Brownlow had in 1867, and he used it 
to have himself elected. 

He ordered the election commissioners to issue certifi- 
cates, or permits to vote, to all actual citizens of the state. 
All the Democrats united with the Conservatives, and 
Senter was easily elected. A Democratic and Conservative 
legislature was also chosen, and the state government was 
again in the hands of officers elected by a majority of all 
the people. 

De Witt Clinton Senter was born in McMinn County, 
Tennessee, in 1834. He received only a common school 
education. From 1857 to 1861 he represented Grainger 
County in the legislature. When the war began he took 
such strong ground for the Union that he was for a time 
imprisoned by the Confederate authorities. From 1865 
to 1869 he was a member of the state Senate, and was 
chosen speaker of the Senate in the year 1867. When 
Brownlow was made United States Senator in February, 
1869, Senter became governor by succession, and was 
elected governor in August of the same year. He died 
in 1897. 



226 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Civil and military governors. 

2. Johnson's effort to restore civil government. 

3. Presidential candidates in 1864. 

4. The Union Convention at Nashville. 

5. The Democratic electors and presidential vote of Tennessee 

6. Revising the state constitution. 

7. Emancipation in Tennessee. 

8. State elections in 1865. 

9. Sketch of Governor Brownlow. 

10. Character of the " Brownlow Period.'" Date. 

11. The state in the hands of a minority. 

12. Voters in the three divisions of the state. 

13. The " Franchise Acts." 

14. Radicals and Conservatives. 

15. Nominations for governor in 1867. 

16. Character of canvass and result. 

17. Sketch of Emerson Etheridge. 

18. Governor by succession in 1869. 

19. Convention of 1869, and nominatioFsS 

20. Result of elections in August. 

21. Sketch of Governor Senter. 



CHAPTER XXXII 



SENTER'S ADMINISTRATION, 1869-1871 

Before we take up Governor Senter's administration you 
must have some explanation of a few things that affected 
other southern states more than they did Tennessee, but 
still had much influence in 
our own state. 

At the close of the Civil 
War all of the seceding 
states were placed under 
military government. Con- 
gress then began to discuss 
plans of government for 
these states in the future. 
President Johnson had his 
plans, and Congress had 
quite different ones. The 
plans of Congress were 
adopted. What were called 
"provisional governments" 

were organized under Federal authority in all of these 
states except Tennessee. This scheme was called ** Re- 
construction." 

These " provisional governments " had the form of reg- 
ular, state governments, but were really under control of 
the Federal army. In the states undergoing " Recon- 
struction " the actual citizens who had been in any way 

227 




De Witt Clinton Senter 



228 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

connected with the Confederacy were not allowed to take 
any part in the government. The negroes and a great 
number of worthless men from the North, called carpet- 
baggers, did almost all the voting, and the carpetbaggers 
held nearly all of the offices. These men were called 
carpetbaggers because they did not have any interest in 
the state, and owned no more property in it than could be 
carried in a carpetbag. They never intended to remain in 
the state and become good citizens, but were a set of adven- 
turers who meant to plunder the people and then leave the 
country. 

These carpetbaggers wished to keep the negroes under 
their own control so that they might be sure of their votes 
at every election. To do this they organized a secret polit- 
ical society called the '' Loyal League " and persuaded all 
the negroes to join it; promising them great things if they 
did so, and threatening disgrace and danger if they did not. 
This Loyal League did some deeds of violence and crime. 
Bad men who never belonged to it, as well as those who 
did, used its name as a cloak for villainies of every charac- 
ter, and the League became a nuisance and a terror. The 
courts afforded no protection, as the judges of the courts 
were usually members of the League. 

Carpetbaggers never held power in Tennessee, as there 
were plenty of genuine Union citizens in the state to keep 
them out, and the people of the state did their own " recon- 
structing." The Loyal League, however, was organized 
in Tennessee, and in some places showed many of its worst 
features. It either encouraged idleness and crime or was 
made an excuse for these things. 

In opposition to the League there grew up another 
secret organization called the " Ku Klux Klan." There is 
no authentic history of the " Klan." Its members would 



SENTER'S ADMINISTRATION, 1 869-1 871 



229 



^c:^/ 



never say much about it, and would write nothing at all. 
No one else could give correct information. A committee 
of Congress made extensive investigations, but their pub- 
lished report reveals only the fact that they learned in 
reality very Httle about it. 

As good authority as we have says the order was organ- 
ized first at Pulaski, Tennessee, in the fall of 1866, by 
, , , some young men whose object 
was amusement. They 
adopted grotesque and 
outlandish disguises, 
^ y^ and went about fright- 
Jl^^'^ ening superstitious ne- 
/3a/ groes. A member of 
^^ this Klan would con- 

ceal a large rubber 
bag under his black 
robe, with a tube ex- 
tending from the 
bag up under his 
■^ 'J disguise to about the 
'■" position of his mouth. 
The whole party, in their 
hideous uniforms, would 
then go to some negro's house 
and ask for water. When the 
water was brought the leader 
would take the bucket, appar- 
ently drink the whole pailful, and then ask for more. 
After seeming to drink two or three pails of water he 
would thank the amazed negro, and tell him that it was 
the first drink of water he had taken since the battle of 
Shiloh. This usually brought on the climax, — the negro 



.^^ 




Ku KIux Klan 



230 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

dropped the bucket and took to his heels, supposing the 
man to be the ghost of some soldier who had been killed 
in battle. 

The young men soon learned that they could scare the 
wits out of a Loyal League meeting, and turned their order 
into a band of regulators for the protection of society. It 
grew and spread rapidly until it extended over the whole 
South, and almost entirely suppressed the Loyal League. 
After the organization became powerful, bad men used it 
for improper purposes. Just as in the case of the Loyal 
League, many outrages were committed in its name by 
men who were never members of the Ku Klux Klan. 
These bad acts caused the hostility of the state govern- 
ment, and the congressional investigation. 

As law and order became more firmly established in the 
hands of all the people, the Ku Klux Klan died out. In 
the early part of Governor Senter's administration there 
were serious Ku Klux outrages, but public sentiment 
against them was constantly growing stronger, and at the 
close of his term they had almost passed away. A new 
order of affairs was beginning in the state, and new ques- 
tions, that had little to do with the old grudges of the war, 
were claiming pubUc attention. 

In the legislature which met in October, 1869, the Dem- 
ocrats had a majority in both the House and the Senate. 
The business before the new legislature was about this : — 

1. To provide for maintaining the pubHc credit. 

2. To limit or restrain the power of the governor. 

3. To restore to all respectable citizens the right to vote. 

4. To suppress the lawless acts of those supposed to 
belong to the Ku Klux Klan or the Loyal League. 

$. To provide for a new constitution suited to the 
changed conditions of the state. 



SENTER'S ADMINISTRATION, 1869-1871 23 1 

They passed a resolution to sustain the credit ot the 
state, and appointed a committee to investigate the state 
debt and the railroads to which bonds had been issued. 
The laws which gave extraordinary powers to the governor 
were repealed, and a bill was passed restoring the right to 
vote to all male citizens who had been living six months in 
the state. There was a severe Federal law against the Ku 
Klux, and under it some of them had been sent to the peni- 
tentiary. The part of Governor Senter's message relating 
to the Ku Klux was therefore passed over without action. 

The most important work of this legislature was an act 
providing for a constitutional convention to be held at 
Nashville in January, 1870. This act was submitted to a 
vote of the people on the third Saturday in December, 
1869, and was approved by a very large majority. The 
convention met at the time appointed, made many changes 
in the old constitution of the state, and added some new 
features. They submitted their work to a vote of the 
people in May, 1870, and it was ratified. This constitu- 
tion is the one under which we now live, — the one printed 
in this book. 

The close of Governor Senter's administration marks the 
end of Republican rule in Tennessee. There has been 
one Republican governor since that time, but only for one 
term, and so brief was that period that Democrats never 
really lost control of the affairs of the state. The Demo- 
cratic convention of 1870 nominated John C. Brown for 
governor. The Republicans nominated W. H. Wisener. 
Brown was elected, receiving nearly twice as many votes 
as his opponent. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Condition of the seceding states at the close of the war. 

2. President Johnson and Congress. 

TENN. HIST. — 15 



232 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

3. Reconstruction. 

4. Provisional governments. 

5. Carpetbaggers. 

6. The Loyal League. 

7. Abuses of the organization. 

8. Carpetbaggers in Tennessee. 

9. The Loyal League in Tennessee. 

10. The Ku Klux Klan. 

1 1 . Difficulty of getting information about it. 

12. Probable origin of Ku Klux. (The name is said to have been de- 

rived from the Greek word, kuklos, which means a circle.) 

13. Amusing pranks of the early Ku Klux. 

14. Change in the order. 

15. Abuses of its power. 

16. Dying out of the Klan. 

17. New public issues. 

18. Items of business before Governor Senter's legislature. 

19. Forming the Constitution of 1870. 

20. The end of Republican rule in Tennessee. 

21. Nominees for governor in 1870, and result of election. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOHN C. BROWN, 1871-1875 



John C. Brown was born in Giles County, Tennessee, 
in 1827. When only twenty-one years old he began the 
practice of law at Pulaski. When the war began, in 186 1, 
he was a successful lawyer 
and prominent citizen of 
his county. He joined the 
Confederate Army as a 
captain of infantry, served 
gallantly through the 
whole war, and rose by 
successive steps to the 
rank of major general. At 
the close of the war he re- 
sumed his law practice at 
Pulaski. He was president 
of the constitutional con- 
vention of 1870, and per- 
formed his delicate and difficult duties as presiding officer 
with rare tact and ability. He was Governor of Tennessee 
from 1 87 1 to 1875, defeating W. H. Wisener in 1870, and 
Alfred A. Freeman in 1872. He was the third governor 
who bore the name of Brown, and was a brother of Gov- 
ernor Neill S. Brown. After the expiration of his second 
term as governor he became an official of the Texan Pacific 
Railroad, and soon afterward its president. He died in 
1889. 

233 




John C. Brown 



234 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Many of the exciting and vexing questions that had 
been prominent in the state since 1861 had practically 
passed away when General Brown was made governor. 
There were two very important subjects to be considered 
in the period of his administrations. 

1. The settlement of the state debt. 

2. The organization of a pubhc school system. 

The state debt is a difficult subject to understand. The 
best short history of it is to be found in Governor Bate's 
message to the legislature of 1883. It is not best to at- 
tempt to give my young readers anything more than an 
outline of what it is and how it was created. 

From 1796 to 1833 there was no such thing as a state 
debt in Tennessee. Enough of taxes to pay the necessary 
expenses of the state government was levied, collected, 
and paid out each year, and there was usually a little 
money left in the treasury. In 1833 the state, very un- 
wisely, issued $500,000 in interest-bearing bonds and used 
the money received for these bonds to establish a bank. 
After this more bonds were issued to buy the Hermitage, 
to build the Capitol, and for several other purposes, until 
the state's own debt was more than $3,000,000 in 1861. 
This is what has been called *' the state debt proper." 

The " internal improvement " mania caused another 
immense debt. The state lent its credit to turnpike com- 
panies, plank-road companies, and railroads, until they 
created a debt of nearly $14,000,000 by the time the war 
began in 1861. It was never intended or expected that 
the state would be called upon to pay these bonds. The 
state was only a surety ; the companies were expected to 
earn the money necessary to pay the interest and to take 
up the bonds. The war came, stopped the business of the 
companies, destroyed their property, and broke them up. 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOHN C. BROWN, 1871-1875 235 

The debt fell upon the state. This has been called the 
" state aid debt." 

At the close of the war the turnpikes, railroads, etc., 
were in such ruin that more *' state aid " was given to 
repair them and to put new ones into operation. Thus 
another debt of nearly $14,000,000 was created. There 
had been no interest paid on any of the bonds from 1861 
to 1865, and more bonds were issued to pay off the interest 
that had accumulated during the war. These issues of 
bonds made between 1865 and 1869 have been called the 
" Brownlow debt." All taken together, — good, doubtful, 
and fraudulent, — the state debt amounted to more than 
$35,000,000 when Governor Brown went into office in 
1871. 

The governor's message to the legislature of 1871 and 
1872 called special attention to this enormous debt, and 
urged some settlement of it. The members of the legisla- 
ture in discussing the subject declared the "state debt 
proper " to be just, and that all of it ought to be paid ; the 
" state aid debt " to be a hardship, and that the bond- 
holders ought to bear part of the losses on that ; the 
" Brownlow debt " to have been created by doubtful and 
perhaps illegal methods of a legislature that did not repre- 
sent the taxpayers of the state, and that none of it ought 
to be paid. They did a great deal of talking and speech- 
making and political wrangling, and very little of any- 
thing else on the subject before them. 

The elections of 1872 were especially exciting in Ten- 
nessee. Governor Brown was a candidate for reelection, 
and the Republicans were putting forth every effort to 
defeat him. Andrew Johnson, Horace Maynard, and B. 
F. Cheatham were candidates for congressman in the state 
at large. General Grant was a candidate for reelection to 



236 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

the Presidency and was opposed by Horace Greeley, an 
able and distinguished Liberal Republican of New York. 
In the great poHtical excitement and turmoil the state debt 
received little consideration, and almost nothing w^as done 
for it in Governor Brown's administrations. 

The public school question fared better. The legislators 
knew that the people needed schools whether the state 
debt was paid or not. That could wait, but the children 
were growing up, and they could not wait. The negroes 
had been made citizens and had no education. It was 
considered both wise and humane to give them education 
to fit them as quickly as possible for their new duties. 

In 1873 a school law was passed which provided for 
a State Superintendent of Public Instruction, a county 
superintendent in each county, city superintendents where- 
ever necessary, and a board of three school directors in 
each school district. Schools for white children and those 
for colored children were to be organized and conducted 
separately. 

The legislature levied a state tax to pay the expenses of 
these schools, and authorized counties and cities to levy 
additional taxes for the same purpose. The tax was small, 
but the people had lost most of their property by the 
ravages of war, and a heavy debt w^as hanging over them. 
A less heroic race would never have undertaken such a 
task under the conditions that then existed. 

John M. Fleming, a scholarly and accomplished gentle- 
man of Knoxville, was appointed state superintendent, and 
the school law of 1 873 went into operation. It was amended 
and considerably changed from time to time, but in its 
important features it was the school law of Tennessee for 
many years. (For the present school law, which is very 
different, see Chapter XLIV.) 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF JOHN C. BROWN, 1871-1875 237 
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Sketch of Governor John C. Brown. 

2. Troublesome questions from 1861 to 1869. 

3. The two important subjects in Governor Brown's administrations. 

4. State finances before 1833. 

5. The " state debt proper." 

6. The ''' state aid debt." 

7. The " Brownlow debt." 

8. The entire debt in 1871. 

9. The legislature of 187 1 and 1872, and the state debt. 

10. The three exciting political contests in 1872. 

11. Importance of public schools. 

12. School officials according to the law of 1873. 

13. How are our public schools supported ? 

14. Condition of the people when the school law was passed. 

15. First state superintendent under the new law. 

16. The school law of 1873 ^^^ ^^at of the present time. 



CHAPTER XXXIV 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF PORTER AND MARKS, 1875-1881 



In the Democratic convention of 1874 there were not 
less than a dozen men who wished to be nominated for 
governor, and in the RepubHcan convention there were 
nearly as many. The Democrats nominated James D. 
Porter, and the Republicans Horace Maynard. Porter was 
elected by a majority of more than forty-seven thousand 
votes. The next year Maynard was sent by President 

Grant as United States min- 
ister to Turkey. 

James D. Porter was born 
at Paris, Tennessee, in 1828. 
He was educated at the Uni- 
versity of Nashville, and be- 
gan the practice of law at 
Paris in 185 1. He was a 
member of the legislature 
from 1859 to i86i,and took 
an active part in the exciting 
events attending secession. 
He was General Pillow's ad- 
jutant general and assisted 
in 




James D. Porter 



the troops. 

Afterward he became General Cheatham's chief of staff 
and served in that position through the war. In 1865 
he resumed the practice of law at Paris. He was a 

238 



PORTER AND MARKS, 1875-1881 239 

member of the constitutional convention of 1870, and 
judge of the circuit court of his district from 1870 until he 
was nominated for governor in 1874. He was Governor 
of Tennessee from 1875 to 1879. After the close of his 
last term as governor he became president of the Nashville, 
Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad and resigned after 
four years' service. In 1885 President Cleveland appointed 
him Assistant Secretary of State. In 1887 he resigned this 
office and withdrew from political life. He lives now in 
Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the trustees of the Peabody 
Educational Fund, and a member of the Board of Trustees 
of the University of Nashville, at which he was educated, 
and is chancellor of that institution. 

In 1875 Andrew Johnson was elected United States 
senator from Tennessee, but died in July of the same year. 
Governor Porter appointed David M. Key of Chattanooga 
to fill the unexpired term of Senator Johnson. In 1877 
President Hayes appointed Mr. Key Postmaster General. 
This was a notable appointment, as Mr. Key was a Demo- 
crat, had been a Confederate soldier, and was with one 
exception the first Cabinet officer appointed from a seced- 
ing state after the war. 

This appointment showed clearly that the President of 
the United States wished the people to understand that the 
old war grudges ought to be forgotten. Mr. Key resigned 
his Cabinet office in 1880 to accept the office of judge 
of the federal court for the district of East Tennessee. 
Horace Maynard was recalled from Turkey to be made 
Postmaster General. Thus two distinguished Tennesseeans 
held this office during one presidential term. 

In 1878 the Democratic convention nominated Albert 
S. Marks for governor ; the Republicans nominated Emer- 
son Etheridge. Marks was elected. 



240 



THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 




Albert S. Marks 



Albert S. Marks was born in Kentucky in 1836. He 
came to Tennessee when a youth, and in 1858 began the 

practice of law at Winches- 
ter. When secession was 
first proposed he was a 
Union man, but when the 
war began he joined the 
Confederate Army and be- 
came colonel of a regiment. 
In the battle of Murfrees- 
boro he made a record for 
gallantry that placed his 
name on the Confederate 
roll of honor, but received 
a wound that caused the 
loss of one leg. After the 
war he resumed the practice of law. In 1870 he was 
elected judge of the chancery court and remained in this 
position until nominated for governor in 1878. He was 
Governor of Tennessee from 1879 to 1881. He died at 
Nashville in 1891. 

The administrations of Porter and Marks were noted for 
the wonderful advances made by the people of the state in 
building up what the war had destroyed. New churches, 
new schoolhouses, new residences, new stores, new factories, 
new industries of every kind, were springing up all over 
the state. It was a time of peace and growth. The towns 
especially moved forward in prosperity, and increased very 
rapidly in wealth and population. 

In state politics the '' debt of Tennessee " was the all- 
absorbing question, and it seemed as if almost every man 
in the state had an idea of his own as to how it ought to 
be settled. Some wished to pay it all, some wished to pay 



PORTER AND MARKS, 1 875-1881 24 1 

a part of it, and some wished to pay none. You must 
understand that a state cannot be sued in court and forced 
to pay its debts as an individual can. The payment of a 
state debt is a matter of honor with the people of that state. 
If they refuse to pay it, the creditors have no way to help 
themselves. 

In the winter of 1876 the state's creditors proposed to 
Governor Porter to take three fifths, or sixty cents on the 
dollar, with six per cent interest, as payment in full of all 
their claims. The governor called the legislature together 
and submitted the proposition to them, strongly recom- 
mending that it be accepted. After carefully considering 
the question, seemingly with a view to getting the greatest 
number of votes for themselves at the next election, the 
legislature adjourned and went home without having done 
anything. This was the end of what was called the ''sixty 
and six" compromise. 

Governor Marks was as anxious for a settlement of the 
state debt as Governor Porter had been, and urged the 
legislature of 1879 to do something with the vexed ques- 
tion. An act was passed settling the debt at fifty cents on 
the dollar with four per cent interest. Most of the credi- 
tors were willing to accept this, .but when the act was sub- 
mitter to a vote of the people it was rejected. This was the 
end of what was known as the "fifty and four " proposition. 

Between 1875 and 1880 there had grown up in the 
United States a new political party called the Greenback 
party. One of their doctrines was that the government 
should issue more treasury notes so as to make money 
more plentiful. The backs of these notes were printed 
with green ink, and the notes were therefore called green- 
backs. The party took its name from the money it advo- 
cated. 



242 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

In 1880 the Democrats were divided on the state, debt 
question, and Governor Marks refused to be a candidate 
for reelection. The " fifty and four " or state-credit Dem- 
ocrats nominated John V. Wright for governor. The low- 
tax Democrats nominated S. F. Wilson. The Greenback 
party nominated R. M. Edwards. The Republicans 
declared themselves in favor of settling the state debt 
according to the wish or consent of the creditors, and 
nominated Alvin Hawkins, who was easily elected on 
account of the strife and divisions among the Democrats. 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Nominations for governor, and election in 1874. 

2. Sketch of Governor Porter. 

3. The United States senator elected in 1875. 

4. President Hayes's first Postmaster General. 

5. Why this appointment was remarkable. 

6. Hayes's second Postmaster General. 

7. Nominations for governor and election in 1878. 

8. Sketch of Governor Marks. 

9. Progress of the state during Porter's and Marks's administrations 

10. The main issue in state politics. 

1 1 . Different ideas on the settlement of the state debt. 

12. How could a state be brought into a court for trial ? 

13. Proposition of the bond owners to Governor Porter. 

14. Action of the legislature on the proposition. 

15. What is meant by the " sixty and six "" compromise ? 

16. Governor Marks's feeling about the state debt. 

17. Action of the legislature of 1879. 

18. Vote of the people on the act. 

19. What is meant by the '• fifty and four" proposition ? 

20. The Greenback party. 

21. Governor Marks's refusal to be nominated for reelection. 

22. Nominations of governor, and election of 1880. 



CHAPTER XXXV 



HAWKINS'S AND BATE'S ADMINISTRATIONS, 1 881-1 887 



Alvin Hawkins was born in Kentucky in 1821, but 
came to Tennessee when only five years old. He received 
a good education and in his early manhood was a teacher. 
In 1843 he began the practice 
of law at Huntingdon. In 
1853 he was elected from Car- 
roll County to a seat in the leg- 
islature. When the troubles 
of 1 86 1 began he was an 
uncompromising Union man 
and put forth all his energy 
to prevent the secession of 
Tennessee. In 1862 he was 
elected to Congress, under 
the proclamation of Andrew 
Johnson as military governor, 
but was not allowed to serve. 
In 1864 he was appointed Federal attorney for the western 
district of Tennessee. In 1865 he resigned this position 
and was afterward appointed a judge of the supreme court 
of the state. He held this position three years, resigning 
in 1868, but in 1869 was elected to the same office. 
The constitution of 1870 displaced him, and he resumed 
his law practice. He was Governor of Tennessee from 
1881 to 1883. He died at his old home in Huntingdon, 
April, 1905. Governor Hawkins's public career was a 

243 




Alvin Hawkins 



244 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

long one, and much of it in the midst of events and asso- 
ciations that besmirched many men. Through all of this 
he passed with a clean record, and is a striking example 
of the fact that public life does not corrupt a patriot. 

Governor Hawkins's message to the legislature of 1881, 
like those of preceding governors, urged the importance of 
settling the state debt. This was really the only important 
question for consideration. An act was passed in April, 
1 88 1, settling the state debt at dollar for dollar in full, 
with three per cent interest. This settlement was not sub- 
mitted to a vote of the people, as the " fifty and four " prop- 
osition had been. Henry J. Lynn, as representative of a 
number of taxpayers, brought a suit in court to prevent 
the issue of the bonds. The Supreme Court of Tennessee 
decided the case in Lynn's favor and the " hundred and 
three " settlement was as dead as the " fifty and four." 
Nevertheless the "state debt" was still very much alive, 
and would not " down " at the bidding of either Democrats 
or Republicans. 

In 1882 Governor Hawkins called an extra session of the 
legislature and told the members that they must try again 
to settle this debt. They tried again by adopting what 
has been called the "graded interest settlement." They 
passed an act to settle the debt at sixty cents on the dollar 
with three per cent interest for the first two years, four 
per cent for the next two years, five per cent for the next 
two, and six per cent after that time. The creditors re- 
fused this and the " graded interest settlement " went the 
way of all previous attempts to down this mighty ghost of 
past extravagance, war, and rascality. 

In 1882 the Democratic convention declared in favor of 
paying the " state debt proper " in full, and the remainder 
of the debt at fifty cents on the dollar with three per cent 



HAWKINS AND SATE, i8Si-ii 



245 



interest, and nominated William B. Bate for governor. A 
part of the Democrats, nicknamed " Sky-Blues," objected 
to this plan of settlement and nominated J. H. Fussell. 
The Republicans nominated Governor Hawkins for reelec- 
tion. The Greenback party nominated John R. Beasley. 
Bate was elected. 

William B. Bate was born in Sumner County, Ten- 
nessee, in 1826. By the time he was twenty-two years 
old he had finished his aca- 
demic education, had been a 
clerk on a steamboat, and had 
served as a soldier through 
the Mexican War. In 1849 
he was elected a member of 
the Tennessee Legislature. 
In 1852 he began the prac- 
tice of law at Gallatin, having 
graduated from the law school 
of Cumberland University. 
In 1854 he was elected at- 
torney general for his dis- 
trict, and while holding this 

office decHned a nomination for Congress. In 1861 he 
joined the Confederate Army and served with high honor 
through the war. He was severely wounded three times 
and rose through successive grades to the rank of a major 
general. At the close of the war he began the practice 
of law at Nashville. He was Governor of Tennessee 
from 1883 to 1887. At the close of his last term he was 
elected to the United States Senate and, by reelection, 
held that position until his death in 1905. He was a care- 
ful student of politics, a methodical, safe man, and his pub- 
lic services to the state were of the greatest value. 




William B. Bate 



246 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Governor Bate's message to the legislature gave a brief 
history and detailed statement of the debt of Tennessee, 
and advised a prompt settlement on the terms announced 
by the Democratic convention. The legislature followed 
his advice, and March 15, 1883, passed a bill that pro- 
vided for taking up all of the old bonded debt and issuing 
new bonds that should be due in thirty years, but that 
might be called in and paid off at any time after 1888. 
All of the new bonds that were issued to take up the 
"state debt proper" were to bear the same interest as 
before the war, and this part of the debt was to be paid 
in full. In addition to the "state debt proper," that has 
already been explained, a few other bonds were settled at 
full value. Among these were some bonds belonging to 
schools, and some belonging to Mrs. Polk, the widow of 
President James K. Polk. 

The remainder of the debt was to be cut down to fifty 
cents on the dollar and the new bonds were to bear three 
per cent interest. 

This is called the " fifty and three " settlement, and it 
removed from the politics of the state a question that for 
fourteen years had been a sore subject for the people, and 
a rallying cry for demagogues of all political parties, or of 
no party at all. 

The remainder of Governor Bate's administrations was 
a time of rapid growth in wealth and prosperity. With 
the state debt laid to rest, the people turned their atten- 
tion to the development of the resources of the state and 
the improvement of their schools, which made remarkable 
advances under the supervision of Hon. Thomas H. Paine, 
who held the office of state superintendent from 1883 
to 1887. But we shall learn of the schools in another 
chapter. 



HAWKINS AND BATE, 1881-1887 247 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Sketch of Governor Hawkins. 

2. Act of 1881 to settle the state debt. 

3. Lynn\s lawsuit. 

4. Effort to settle the debt in 1882. 

5. Democratic platform of 1882. 

6. Candidates for governor in 1882, and result of the election. 

7. Sketch of William B. Bate. 

8. Governor Bate's first message to the legislature. 

9. Date of the " fifty and three '' settlement. 

10. Terms of the settlement. 

11. Benefit to the people. 

12. Remainder of Governor Bate's administrations. 



TENN. HIST.- 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND BUCHANAN, 1 887-1 893 

In 1886 there was a political contest for the governor- 
ship of Tennessee that differed from all others that had 
ever occurred in the state. Robert L. Taylor was nomi- 
nated by the Democrats, and his brother, Alfred A. Taylor, 
by the Republicans. The two candidates were natives of 
East Tennessee, sons of a distinguished father who had 
been a Whig member of Congress before the war. They 
were as affectionate brothers as if they had not differed in 
politics, and every one knew there would be only good 
humor in the party strife between them. 

Some one said that a contest of kinsmen reminded him 
of the "Wars of the Roses." At once the Democrats 
adopted the white rose of York as their emblem, and the 
Republicans took the red rose of Lancaster. Republican 
ladies exchanged roses with Democratic ones so that each 
might have suitable colors to make into bouquets for their 
respective favorites. You could have told a man's politics 
by noticing the color of the rose in his buttonhole as easily 
as by noticing which candidate he cheered. Never since 
1 861 had such crowds assembled to hear political speeches, 
and never were crowds better entertained or more jolly 
and good-humored. 

The brothers discussed the tariff and the navy and 
national aid to education, and several other subjects per- 
taining to United States affairs, tar more than they did 

248 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND BUCHANAN 249 



any purely state questions. About the only state question 
was the penitentiary lease system. They were young men 
who had been boys while the war was in progress, and 
none of its old rancor and grudges affected them. They 
spoke with grave dignity of important matters when they 
chose to do so, and told anecdotes to make people laugh 
when it suited them. The campaign of '' Bob " and *'Alf," 
as they were familiarly called, attracted more attention 
than that of any other two state candidates in America, 
and ended in the triumph of the Democrats. 

Robert L. Taylor was born July 31, 1850, in Carter 
County, Tennessee. He was educated at Pennington, New 
Jersey, and at Athens, Ten- 
nessee. He began the prac- 
tice of law in 1878, but went 
into politics the same year 
and was elected to Congress 
as a Democrat from a Re- 




Robert L. Taylor 



pubhcan district. He was a 
Democratic elector in the 
Presidential contest of 1884, 
and won fame as an orator 
throughout the state. He 
received a Federal appoint- 
ment from President Cleve- 
land, but resigned this office 
in 1886 to become a candidate for governor. He was 
Governor of Tennessee from 1887 to 1891 and again held 
the same office from 1897 to 1899. He is the only man 
since William Carroll who has been the undisputed Gov- 
ernor of Tennessee for six years, though Governor Harris 
was elected three times. Since his retirement from office 
Governor Taylor has traveled and . lectured extensively. 



250 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVH. WAR 

He is one of the most genial and lovable of men, and one 
of the most popular orators now living. 

With one exception Governor Taylor's administrations 
have no special or marked features. They present an era 
of peace and prosperity with no strange events or startling 
facts to record. The time of greatest contentment and 
happiness for the whole people of a country is usually the 
most barren period for the historian. 

The exception referred to in the preceding paragraph 
was one of the most exciting elections ever held in the 
state, though it had no political significance. This was 
the election in 1887 on the prohibition amendment to the 
state constitution. A strange fact about the people of the 
United States is that they spend more money for intoxi- 
cating liquors than they do for bread. In May, 1884, a 
convention of people who were opposed to the hquor trade 
met at Nashville and asked to have the constitution of 
Tennessee so amended as to abolish the manufacture and 
sale of liquor in the state. 

To amend the state constitution it is necessary for one 
legislature to pass the amendment, for the next legislature 
to approve it, and then for it to be adopted by a majority 
of the votes of the people. The legislature of 1885 passed 
the prohibition amendment, the legislature of 1887 ap- 
proved it, and ordered an election to be held the following 
fall. Lawyers, doctors, preachers, teachers, politicians, 
and private citizens of both political parties began mak- 
ing speeches for the amendment. The women of the state 
worked earnestly for it, but some men worked more earn- 
estly against it, and the prohibition amendment was lost. 
It received a large number of the votes cast, but not the 
requisite majority. 

Throughout the administrations of Governor Bate and 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND BUCHANAN 25 1 



Governor Taylor there had existed associations of farmers 
sometimes called Grangers, sometimes Wheels, and finally 
the Farmers' Alliance. Near the close of Taylor's last 
term the Alliance men expressed the belief that about all 
of the affairs of government were conducted very much 
in the interest of professional and commercial business, 
and very little to the advantage of agricultural industries. 
They took an active part in the politics of 1890, and the 
result was the nomination of John P. Buchanan for gov- 
ernor by the Democratic convention. The Republicans 
nominated Lewis T. Baxter of Nashville. Buchanan 
was elected. 

John P. Buchanan was born in Williamson County, 
Tennessee, October 24, 1847. He belongs to a family 
famous in the history of the 
state. His paternal great- 
grandfather was Major John 
Buchanan, the pioneer com- 
panion of James Robertson in 
the settlement of Nashville in 
1779, and the founder of the 
celebrated Buchanan's Station 
in 1782. 

John P. Buchanan received 
a good common school educa- 
tion and became a prosperous 
farmer. He was elected a 
member of the Legislature of 

Tennessee in 1886 and again in 1888. In 1890 he was 
elected Governor of the State of Tennessee and served 
one term. He now lives in Rutherford County, and is 
engaged in his favorite pursuit of farming and stock 
raising. 




John P. Buchanan 



252 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Governor Buchanan was a farmer, had been a leading 
spirit in the " AlHance," and the farmers of the state had 
high hopes that his administration would somehow bring 
great gain to them. In fact, they expected of him un- 
reasonable and impossible changes in the management of 
state affairs. Of course they wqyq disappointed. 

The most serious event in Governor Buchanan's admin- 
istration was an insurrection among the coal miners, which 
grew out of the penitentiary lease system. 

In 1866 the prison inspectors reported to the legislature 
that the penitentiary had been costing the state an average 
of $15,000 a year for the preceding thirty years, and that 
something should be done to relieve the taxpayers of this 
expense. The legislature passed an act appointing a 
board of directors with authority to lease the prison or hire 
out the convicts to the best bidder for their labor. That 
is, the scamps who had gotten into prison by violating the 
laws were to be hired out and forced to earn their own 
living instead of being supported at the public expense. 

The first lease was made in 1867 to Ward & Briggs at 
40 cents per day for each convict. They established large 
shops in the prison and set the convicts to hard work. 
The prisoners did not like the arrangement, and in June, 
1867, succeeded in burning the east shops with all their 
contents. Ward & Briggs then refused to pay for the 
labor, and claimed damages from the state for the machin- 
ery and material destroyed. The state paid the damages 
and canceled the contract. 

December i, 1871, Cherry, O'Connor & Co. leased the 
penitentiary and continued their contract until January i, 
1884, when the Tennessee Coal, Iron 81 Railroad Company 
became lessees. They left about one third of the convicts 
in the prison at Nashville and subleased them to Cherry, 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND BUCHANAN 253 

Morrow & Co., a firm of wagon makers. About one third 
were transferred to the mines at Tracy City, where a strong 
prison had been built. The remainder of the prisoners 
were sent to the Inman mines in Marion County, the Coal 
Creek mines in Anderson County, and the marble quarries 
in Knox County. The whole number of convicts at that 
time was about thirteen hundred. 

Under the lease system, instead of being an expense, 
the penitentiary brought to the state a revenue of more 
than $100,000 a year. But it created great discontent 
among the miners. Proprietors would not hire free men 
to work their mines when they could get convict labor 
much cheaper. This left many men without work, and 
threatened their families with want. Besides this, the 
people who lived in the mining districts objected to having 
large bodies of convicts so near their homes. At least, 
they claimed that they did, though their conduct afterward 
did not at all sustain this claim. 

The miners objected, protested, and threatened without 
effect. In July, 1891, trouble began and continued at in- 
tervals until late in the fall of 1892. The miners attacked 
the prisons and released the convicts. Governor Buchanan 
sent some state troops to maintain order. Part of these 
were poorly trained or not trained at all, badly armed, and 
supplied with very few cartridges. The miners openly 
defied the state authorities, overpowered the soldiers, 
released the prisoners, and burned the prisons at Tracy, 
Briceville, Coal Creek, Oliver Springs, and Inman. 

Many people were in active sympathy with the miners, 
and the authorities of the state did not seem to understand 
the serious nature of the trouble until many blunders had 
been committed that involved great expense and some loss 
of life. August 17, 1892, General S. T. Carnes, whose 



254 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

advice had not been followed in the beginning of the 
troubles, was sent a second time with part of the National 
State Guard to suppress the disturbance. His force was 
composed of the First Regiment, Colonel J. L. Fox ; Second 
Regiment, Colonel A. R. Taylor ; Third Regiment, Colonel 
Cator Woolford, and an armed posse of one hundred and 
fifty men. General Carnes and his forces did their work 
quickly and thoroughly. The two thousand rioters were 
dispersed, many of them leaving the state. One hundred 
and seventy-five were arrested and some of the leaders tried 
and convicted. This ended the riot. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. The candidates for governor in 1886. 

2. Expected nature of the campaign. 

3. The white and the red roses. 

4. The crowds and the questions discussed at the speakings. 

5. Unusual attention given to the canvass. 

6. Sketch of Robert L. Taylor. 

7. Character of Governor Taylor's administrations. 

8. The prohibition amendment. 

9. How the constitution may be amended. 

10. Result of the election. Political significance. 

1 1 . The Farmers' Alliance in politics. 

12. Nominations for governor in 1890, and result of the election 

13. Sketch of John P. Buchanan. 

14. What was expected of Governor Buchanan. 

15. Report of the prison inspectors in 1866. 

16. Action of the legislature. 

17. First lease of the penitentiary, and results. 

18. Second lease. 

19. Third lease, and distribution of the convicts. 

20. Advantage to the state of the lease system. 

21. Discontent among the miners and what they did. 

22. Condition of the state guard. 

23. How the trouble was ended. 



CHAPTER XXXVII 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF TURNEY AND TAYLOR, 1 893-1 899 



In 1892 the Democrats nominated Judge Peter Turney 
tor governor ; the RepubHcans nominated George W. 
Winstead of Knoxville. Governor Buchanan was urged 
to declare himself an independent candidate for the in- 
dorsement of the people, and made the canvass as an 
Independent Democrat. Turney was elected. 

Peter Turney was born in Marion County, Tennessee, 
in 1827. He is a son of Hopkins L. Turney, who was 
selected for United States 
senator by *' the immortal 
thirteen," and who years 
afterward actually became a 
senator in defiance of a Dem- 
ocratic caucus against him. 

Governor Turney was edu- 
cated at Winchester and at 
Nashville. He studied law 
under the tuition of his 
father, and began practice at 
Winchester in 1848. He was 
one of the first and most out- 
spoken secessionists in the 
state. In 1861 he joined the Confederate Army and became 
colonel of " Turney's First Tennessee Regiment." He 
served gallantly throughout the war, was severely wounded 

255 




Peter Turney 



256 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

at Fredericksburg, declined promotion because he did not 
wish to leave his regiment, and came back with "his 
boys " to Winchester after the surrender. He was elected 
a judge of the supreme court of the state in 1870, 1878, 
and 1886. From 1886 until he was made governor he 
was the chief justice of the state. His period of service, 
twenty-three years, was longer than that of any other 
justice who has been on the supreme bench. He was 
Governor of Tennessee from 1893 to 1897. At the close 
of his last term of office he resumed his law practice, but 
his feeble health prevented frequent attendance at court 
away from his home. He died at Winchester in 1903. 

Three prominent incidents in the history of the state 
deserve record as belonging to the administrations of 
Governor Turney. 

1. Abolition of the penitentiary lease system. 

2. The contested election of 1894. 

3. Preparation for the Tennessee Centennial. 

After the troubles of 1891 and 1892 had subsided, it 
was thought best to find some profitable way of employing 
convicts without bringing them into competition with free 
laborers. 

Some people advocated the purchase by the state of a 
large tract of land containing coal or iron or building stone, 
and working it entirely by convicts. Labor on the public 
roads in all parts of the state was proposed by some, but 
this required too much expense for guards. A number of 
other solutions of the problem were proposed, but it was 
soon discovered that any profitable labor must come into 
competition with all other labor of the same kind. 

The legislature aboKshed the lease system, purchased a 
large tract of land near the Cumberland River, about eight 
miles northwest of the Capitol, and built a new and very 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF TURNEY AND TAYLOR 257 

large, fine prison. The convicts arc employed in various 
manufactures and handicrafts in the prison, and in raising 
on the farm field and garden crops for their own use. A 
large tract of coal-producing land was also bought, and 
convicts mine all the coal used in the Capitol, the asylums, 
and other public buildings. 

In 1894 Governor Turney was a candidate for reelec- 
tion. The Republicans nominated H. Clay Evans of 
Chattanooga. At the close of the election both candidates 
claimed to have been elected. Mr. Evans took the oath 
of office while the matter was in dispute, claiming that the 
election returns showed that he had received more votes 
than Governor Turney. The matter was carried before 
the legislature for investigation and settlement. 

There is a law in Tennessee that requires every citizen 
between twenty-one and fifty years of age to pay his poll 
tax every year. If he fails or refuses to do this, he forfeits 
his right to vote. The legislative investigation of the 
Turney and Evans contest showed that many men had 
voted who had not paid their poll taxes, and that other 
violations of the election laws had occurred. It was 
claimed that most of the fraudulent votes were cast in 
counties where Evans received his largest majorities, and 
that he was therefore not legally elected. Governor Tur- 
ney was declared the lawful governor of the state, was 
inaugurated, and served the full term. 

In 1893 many enterprising and patriotic people began 
to talk of celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of 
Tennessee's admission into the American Union. The 
date would be June i, 1896. In 1894 an association was 
organized for the purpose of preparing a grand exhibit of 
the arts, sciences, inventions, resources, industries, and 
products of the state. 



258 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVH. WAR 

The committees worked with all their might, secured a 
beautiful piece of ground on the western border of Nash- 
ville, raised immense sums of money to prepare the 
grounds and buildings, and enlisted the interest of people 
not only in Tennessee, but all over the United States, and 
in some foreign lands. With all of their effort and indus- 
try, however, they could not get ready by June i, 1896, 
and the "Tennessee Centennial " had to be deferred until 
1897. 

In the fall of 1896 Robert L. Taylor was elected gov- 
ernor and began his third term in January, 1897. The 
first day of May, 1897, the Tennessee Centennial Exposi- 
tion was formally opened. Guns were fired, flags were 
raised, bands of musicians led long processions of people, 
Governor Taylor and other distinguished orators made 
speeches, and everybody congratulated everybody else on 
the great exhibition that was opened for the instruction 
and entertainment of all the people who chose to visit 
Nashville in the gala days between May i and November 
I, 1897. 

Within the exposition grounds were long, winding, 
graveled roads bordered by beds of beautiful flowers. 
Here and there were artistic fountains that emptied their 
waters into a clear lake on which pleasure boats were sail- 
ing all day and late into the night. The buildings were 
of wood, but so finished with plaster as to represent very 
light gray stone. They were of almost all sizes and de- 
signs ; some of them very large and very beautiful. 

In these buildings was exhibited a marvelous array of 
almost everything to be found in a civilized country. 
There were specimens of timber, iron, coal, stone, minerals 
of many other kinds, and all of the tools and machinery 
with which these things are worked into useful products. 



ADMINISTRATIONS OF TURNEY AND TAYLOR 259 

There were vehicles of every kind from wooden-wheeled 
ox carts to the most elegant and elaborate palace cars. 
There were textile fabrics from the coarsest heavy 
blankets to the most delicate and costly laces; woik of 
pupils in schools from all over the state and from many 
other states ; jewelry and toys of every conceivable design ; 
arms and ammunition ; battleships and lighthouses ; old 
reUcs and curiosities ; statues and pictures that cost 
thousands of dollars ; and many, very many, more things 
that were parts of that grand exhibit of Tennessee's one 
hundred years in the march of progress. 

There was one part of the exposition grounds called 
"Vanity Fair." This was filled with the booths and tents 
of the side-show men, who clamored all day for people 
to come in and see ''the grandest show on earth." Those 
who went saw about what is usually seen in the trick 
shows of jugglers and mountebanks in most of our large 
cities. Nevertheless "Vanity Fair" was a favorite place 
with most of the children. 

Two nights in each week there were scenes of rare 
beauty on the exposition grounds. Cunningly contrived 
figures of elephants, swans, and many other beasts and 
birds, resplendent with the blaze of pyrotechnic light, 
marched through the grounds or glided over the lake. 
Rockets rose high in the air and exploded in starry 
showers of crimson and purple and gold. Jets of clear 
water rose from fountains illuminated by electric lights 
and glowed with every hue and tint of the rainbow, and 
sparkled and gleamed with every changeable grace of the 
aurora, until all seemed the work of enchantment, and 
the place a veritable fairyland. 

When the first blasts of November winds were scatter- 
ing the fallen leaves the grand exposition closed. It had 



260 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

been one of the most successful and creditable ever under- 
taken and carried out by a single state. Every depart- 
ment had shown the wonderful progress of the state since 
her pioneer days, and the creation and management of 
the great exhibit had show^n the genius and energy of 
the men and women who had charge of its fortunes. 



WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Candidates for governor in 1892, and result of the election. 

2. Sketch of Governor Turney. 

3. Three prominent features of Governor Turney 's administrations. 

4. Different ideas about employing the convicts. 

5. Competition in labor. 

6. Present employment of convicts. 

7. The election of 1894. 

8. Appeal to the legislature. 

9. Election laws. 

10. Into what fund does the poll tax go? 

1 1 . What are fraudulent votes ? 

12. Decision of the legislature in the Turney and Evans case. 

13. Preparations for the Tennessee centennial. 

14. Objects of the exposition. Correct date. 

15. Work of the committees, and result. 

16. Election of 1890. 

17. Formal opening of the Centennial Exposition. 

18. The exposition grounds. 

19. The buildings. 

20. Articles on exhibition. 

21. ''Vanity Fair."" 

22. The grounds at night. 

23. Valuable lessons of the centennial exhibit. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 



McMILLIN'S ADMINISTRATION, 1899-1903 

In 1898 the Democratic convention nominated Benton 
McMillin for governor. The Republicans nominated 
James A. Fowler. McMilUn was easily elected, his long 
and successful public service 
having given him an influ- 
ence in the state that few 
men possessed. 

Benton McMillin was 
born in Monroe County, 
Kentucky, September 11, 
1845. He was educated at 
Kentucky University, and 
after preparing for the 
practice of law came to 
Tennessee in 1869. In 1875 
he represented the counties 
of Macon, Clay, and Jackson 
in the Tennessee Legislature. In 
dential elector on the Tilden and Hendricks ticket, and 
the same year was elected from Smith County to the 
legislature. In 1878 he was elected to Congress, and 
served, by repeated reelections, until 1898, when he 
declined further service in that position. He was a mem- 
ber of the Committee on Ways and Means for fourteen 
years, and of the Committee on Rules to the end of his 

261 




V ^ 



Benton McMillin 



:Sy6 he was a Presi- 



262 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

term of service. He was the author of the famous '* Income 
Tax Bill," and at the time of his retirement had a longer 
record of continuous service than any other Democratic 
member of the House of Representatives. He was Gov- 
ernor of Tennessee from 1899 to 1903. 

Among many features of Governor McMillin's two ad- 
ministrations that have contributed to the prosperity of 
the state the following are perhaps most prominent : ^ 

I. SettUng and marking the boundary line between 
Virginia and Tennessee. 2. Economies and reforms that 
would enable the state to pay its debts. 3. The Uniform 
Text-book Law for the Public Schools. 

When Tennessee was the western part of North Caro- 
lina there arose a dispute about the dividing Hne between 
Virginia and North Carolina. This was settled by a com- 
promise between these two states, and surveyors were sent 
to establish and mark the line. Thus was fixed the boun- 
dary between Virginia and Tennessee. In 1859 the marks 
were so indistinct that Virginia and Tennessee appointed 
a joint commission to re-mark the dividing Hne. Unfortu- 
nately the acts of this commission were not confirmed by 
the two legislatures. In 1889 Virginia asked the Supreme 
Court of the United States to establish the old charter 
boundary of 36 degrees and 30 minutes as the true boun- 
dary, instead of the compromise line that had been estab- 
lished by former agreement. The court refused to do this, 
and decided that the compromise boundary, which is north 
of 36 degrees 30 minutes, is the true dividing line. But 
the court did not provide for establishing this line. In 
1 901 Governor McMillin asked the Supreme Court to 
appoint a commission to locate and permanently to mark 
this line. His petition was granted, and thus ended a con- 
troversy that had been going on more than a hundred years. 



McMILLIN'S ADMINISTRATION 263 

In 1899 the bonded debt of Tennessee was $16,455,200, 
and the floating debt, $850,000. The bonds had been in 
existence sixteen years, and no provision had been made 
for paying them, though Mr. E. B. Craig, the treasurer, had 
earnestly recommended a " Sinking Fund." 

Governor Taylor had called attention to the condition of 
the " State Debt " and the necessity for a sinking fund, but 
the legislature took no efficient action. Governor McMillin 
promptly took up the matter and recommended, in accord- 
ance with Mr. Craig's suggestion, that every year a certain 
part of the money paid into the state treasury should be 
set aside to pay off the state bonds. This money is called 
"The Sinking Fund." The legislature promptly made a 
law to create a sinking fund, and provided for several 
economic reforms that would bring more money into the 
treasury. Coal-oil inspectors were given regular salaries 
and all their fees were turned into the treasury. This 
gives the state about $25,000 each year. 

Reforms were made in the judiciary system which in- 
crease the annual revenue about $30,000. A small tax was 
levied on all charters issued to corporations, which brings 
each year about $40,000. The new penitentiary system, 
inaugurated in Governor Turney's administration, furnishes 
an annual revenue of about $100,000. 

The governor, the treasurer, the secretary of state, and 
the board of railroad commissioners adjusted lawsuits and 
other difficulties with railroad, telegraph, and telephone 
companies, and placed their taxation on a permanent basis. 
From these and similar corporations the state receives an 
annual income of more than $200,000. 

At the close of Governor McMillin's administration the 
entire floating debt had been paid, and more than $1,000,000 
of the bonds had been retired. 

TENN. HIST. — 17 



204 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Governor McMillin's first message to the legislature 
advised that some measures be adopted to reduce the cost 
of books used in the public schools. The legislature passed 
an act requiring that after September i, 1899, the same 
kind of books shall be used in all the public schools of the 
state. Under this law all books proposed for use in the 
public schools are first examined by a " Sub Commission " 
of five skilled and experienced teachers appointed by the 
governor, who decide on their merits without knowing any- 
thing of their prices. The Sub Commission reports the 
merits of the books to the "Text-book Commission," which 
is composed of the governor, the state superintendent, and 
three members of the State Board of Education. The 
books are adopted, and contracts are made with publishers 
by the Text-book Commission once in five years. 

This act is called the " Uniform Text-book Law." It is 
now in force, and gives to every child in the state school- 
books at moderate and uniform prices, and if he moves 
from one school to another it is not necessary to change 
his books. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Candidates for governor in 1898. 

2. Sketch of Governor McMillin. 

3. The boundary line between Virginia and Tennessee. 

4. The State Debt in 1899. 

5. What is " The Sinking Fund" ? 
The increase in revenue : — 

6. From coal-oil inspectors. 

7. From the Judiciary Department. 

8. From charters. 

9. From " The New Penitentiary." 

10. From corporations. 

11. Conditions at close of Governor McMillin's administration 

12. The Uniform Text-book Law. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 



FRAZIER'S ADMINISTRATION, 1903-05 

In May, 1902, the Democratic party nominated for gov- 
ernor of Tennessee James B. Frazier. The Republicans 
soon after nominated H. T. Campbell, and the Prohibition- 
ists, R. S. Cheves. In November, Frazier was elected by a 
large majority, and was inaugurated, January 20, 1903. In 
November, 1904, he was re- 
elected to the same high 
office. 

James B. Frazier was born 
at Pikeville, Bledsoe County, 
Tennessee, in 1857. He was 
educated at Nashville and 
Knoxville, graduating from 
the University of Tennessee. 
He studied law in the office 
of his father, Judge Thomas 
N. Frazier, who was for many 
years Judge of the Criminal 
Court of Davidson County. 
In 1 88 1, Governor Frazier 
began the practice of law in Chattanooga, where he has 
lived continuously since that time. In 1900 he was made 
presidential elector for the state-at-large on the Demo- 
cratic ticket. His campaign speeches were noted for their 
vigor, their eloquence, and their fairness. By them Mr. 

265 




James 3. Frazier 



266 



THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



Frazier did much to win the confidence and esteem of the 
people who afterwards made him governor. 

Governor Frazier's administration was one of wise man- 
agement and great prosperity for the state. 

The following deserve especial notice : — 

1. "The Romine Bill." 

2. *'The Adams Law." 

3. The Coal Creek Troubles of February, 1904, 

4. The Second Text-book Commission, 

Governor Frazier in his speeches to the public and in his 
message to the legislature declared his purpose to improve 
the pubHc schools of the state, and earnestly recommended 
legislation for this purpose. The legislators aided him 

greatly by the enactment of 
a law known as the " Romine 
Bill." This law requires that 
all unappropriated money 
in the treasury, on the first 
day of January of each year, 
shall be added to the public 
school fund. January 1,1904, 
the schools received $271,600 
from this source. This addi- 
tion to the school fund and 
the active and efficient work 
of State Superintendent S. 
A. Mynders greatly pro- 
moted the public school 
interests of the state and give promise of still better results 
in the future. 

The Adams Law prohibited the sale of intoxicating 
liquors in towns of five thousand inhabitants or less. Its 
passage was largely due to the efforts of the Anti-Saloon 




Seymour A. Mynders 



FRAZIER'S ADMINISTRATION, 1903-1905 267 

League. It met the governor's hearty approval, as he 
considered drunkenness a discredit and a danger to the 
state. 

In February, 1904, a strike of miners at Coal Creek 
threatened troubles similar to those mentioned in Chapter 
XXXVI. Governor Frazier went at once to the men, and 
by his firm stand for right and his eloquent appeals to the 
patriotism and good sense of these people promptly ad- 
justed all the troubles. 

The first contract for text-books, under the Uniform 
Text-book Law, expired in the summer of 1904. The 
governor. May 9, 1904, appointed a new Text-book Com- 
mission, which is treated in another chapter. 

Brief as was the period covered by this chapter, it was 
one of great activity and great prosperity in every depart- 
ment of the state. All current expenses were promptly 
paid, the school fund was increased and schools improved, 
agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial interests ad- 
vanced at a rapid rate ; there was no floating debt, and in 
1903 $316,700 of the bonded debt was paid, and in 1904, 
up to December 19, $298,800 more had been paid off. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

Let the boys and gids investigate for themselves : — 

1. Character of Governor Frazier. 

2. What he did for the business affairs of the state. 

3. What he did to improve the morals of the state. 

4. What he did for the schools of the state. 

5. The work of Superintendent Mynders in the schools. 

6. The influence of strong and honest character in high office. 



CHAPTER XL 

COX'S ADMINISTRATION, 1905-7 

As Stated in Chapter XXXIX, Hon. James B. Frazier 
was reelected governor in November, 1904. He was in- 
augurated for his second term in January, 1905. On 
March 9, 1905, WilUam B. Bate, United States senator 
from Tennessee, died in Washington, where he was attend- 
ing the Fifty-eighth Congress, The legislature of Ten- 
nessee was then in session, and at once elected Governor 
Frazier to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator 
Bate. Mr. Frazier resigned the office of governor and 
accepted that of United States senator. For the third time 
in the history of the state the governor's office was made 
vacant by resignation. Who were the other two governors 
that resigned ? 

Now turn to Article III, Section 12, of the Constitution 
of Tennessee, and you will find that the Speaker, or presid- 
ing officer, of the state Senate becomes governor in case 
of the death, disability, or resignation of the governor who 
has been elected by the people. Senator Cox of Bristol 
was at this time Speaker of the state Senate, and was in- 
augurated governor of Tennessee, March 27, 1905. 

John Isaac Cox was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, 
November 23, 1857. His father was a Confederate soldier 
who was killed in the army when the boy John was about 
five years old. The boy who was to become governor of 
Tennessee grew to manhood in poverty, with only such 
opportunities for advancement as he could make for him- 

268 



COX'S ADMINISTRATION 



269 



self. He worked on the farm, carried a country mail, went 
to the district school when he could, finally worked his 
own way through Blountville Academy, and studied law 
with Judge W. V. Deaderick, 
whose daughter he afterward 
married. He began the prac- 
tice of law in Blountville, be- 
came county judge of Sullivan 
County, and afterward county 
attorney. In 1889 he moved 
to Bristol, and has since been 
almost continuously in pubHc 
life. He was city attorney, 
representative in the legisla- 
ture, state revenue agent 
under Comptroller James A. 
Harris, and filled some other 
official positions. In 1900 he 
was elected to the state Sen- 
ate, and by reelections con- 
tinued in this station until 




1905, 



John Isaac Cox 

when he became gov- 



ernor. He sought the nomination of the Democratic 
party for a second term, but was defeated by Malcolm R- 
Patterson. At the expiration of his term of office as gov- 
ernor he was again elected to the state Senate, and served 
in that body in the sessions of 1907, 1909, and 191 1. 

Governor Cox's administration was in many respects a 
continuation of that of Governor Frazier. He made few 
changes in official appointments, and discharged his duties 
efficiently in a conservative and businesslike manner. 
Serious rioting at Tracy City and at Whitvvell, growing out 
of a strike of coal miners, was promptly suppressed. The 
quarantine laws for keeping yellow fever out of the state 



270 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

were vigorously enforced. Large payments were made on 
the bonded debt. The pubUc schools were improved by 
good legislation, by increased appropriations, and by the 
wise and active management of the State Superintendent, 
S. A. Mynders. The pension fund for old soldiers who 
are unable to make a living for themselves was increased 
^50,000, and $25,000 was given to pension widows whose 
husbands had been killed in war. 

These pensions are given to either Confederate or Fed- 
eral soldiers in need who do not draw pensions from any 
other state or from the treasury of the United States. 

The whole of Governor Cox's administration was a 
period of thrifty activity that greatly increased the learn- 
ing, the wealth, and the general prosperity of the state. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Sketch of William B. Bate. 

2. The three governors who have resigned. 

3. Provisions of the constitution. 

4. Sketch of John I. Cox. 

5. Principal events of Governor Cox's administration. 

6. Who may draw pensions ? 

7. Character of the period of Governor Cox's administration. 



CHAPTER XLI 



PATTERSON'S ADMINISTRATION, 1907-1911 



In the summer of 1906 the Democratic party nominated 
Malcolm R. Patterson of Memphis as a candidate for gov- 
ernor of Tennessee. The Re- 
publican party nominated H. 
Clay Evans of Chattanooga. 
In November Mr. Patterson 
was elected, and in January, 
1907, was inaugurated. 

Malcolm R. Patterson was 
born in Alabama, June 7, 1 86 1 . 
His father was a Confederate 
soldier, Colonel Josiah Patter- 
son, who commanded the 5th 
Regiment of Alabama Cav- 
alry, and who, after becoming 
a citizen of Tennessee, served 
three terms in Congress as 
representative of the loth 
Congressional District. The governor's mother, before her 
marriage, was Miss Josephine Rice. 

Governor Patterson's parents moved to Tennessee when 
he was a child, and he was reared in this state. He. re- 
ceived his education at Christian Brothers College and in 
Vanderbilt University. He studied law in his father's 
office and began practice in Memphis. In 1894 he was 
made attorney-general of the criminal court of Memphis, 

271 




Malcolm R. Patterson 



2/2 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

and held this position for six years. Beginning in 1900, 
he served three terms in Congress as representative of the 
loth district, receiving his nomination each time by accla- 
mation. In 1907 he became governor, and in the midst of 
his term married Miss Mary Russell Gardner of Union 
City. He was the second governor of Tennessee to marry 
while in office, though the state has had more than thirty 
governors. 

In 1908 Governor Patterson was a candidate for the 
nomination of the Democratic party for a second term as 
governor. Hon. E. W. Carmack, a former United States 
senator, was also a candidate for this nomination.* 

A primary election was ordered for the Democratic votes 
of each county in the state, to decide which man should be 
the Democratic candidate for governor. A primary elec- 
tion does not determine who shall fill an official position, 
but is held to select a candidate of the party that holds the 
primary election. 

In order that all of the voters might understand the posi- 
tion of each candidate on public questions, Governor Pat- 
terson and Mr. Carmack agreed to canvass the state in joint 
debate. The first paragraph of Chapter XXIII tells what 
is meant by a canvass in joint debate. 

This canvass was one of the most intensely exciting 
poHtical events in the history of the state, and its result 
was the choice of Mr. Patterson as- the Democratic can- 
didate for governor. The Republican party nominated 
George N. Tillman of Nashville. In November, Governor 
Patterson was reelected, and he began his second term in 
January, 1909. 

The law-making body of the state is officially called "the 

* For sketch of Senator Carmack, see Chapter XXIX. 



PATTERSON'S ADMINISTRATION 2/3 

General Assembly of the State of Tennessee." For con- 
venience it is usually called by the shorter title, '' the 
legislature." My young readers must remember that the 
governor of a state cannot make laws, but it is a part of 
his duty to recommend to the legislature the kind of laws 
he thinks will be good for the state. It is also his duty to 
approve the acts of the legislature if he thinks they are 
right ; or to disapprove, or veto, them if he thinks they 
are wrong. A bill passed by the legislature is not a law 
until the governor acts on it. If he approves, it becomes 
a law. If he fails to approve or to veto within five days 
after the bill is sent to him, it becomes a law. If he dis- 
approves, the bill is not a law unless the legislature, after 
hearing his objections, again passes it; then it becomes a 
law. So you see that the governor has a part in the mak- 
ing of the laws; therefore the people usually praise or 
blame him for the kind of laws that are made in his 
administration. 

Governor Patterson's administration is a notable one in 
the history of the state for many reasons. Among the 
many things that have attracted public attention on account 
of their importance, the following are prominent : — 

1. Large payments on the state debt. 

2. The purchase of a governor's mansion and of a capi- 
tol annex. 

3. The great increase of pension funds. 

4. The " Night Rider " troubles. 

5. The temperance or prohibition legislation. 

6. The County Board Law for the pubHc schools. 

7. The General Education Bill. 

8. The third Text-book Commission. 

From the beginning of Governor Patterson's administra- 
tion to May I, 1909, all current expenses of the state had 



2/4 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

been promptly met, and ^984,600 of the state debt had been 
paid, leaving the total bonded debt of the state at that date 
$11,809,400. 

Up to 1907 the governors of Tennessee had been obliged 
to Uve while in office in hotels, boarding houses, or rented 
houses if they did not own a home in the capital city. It 
was considered unworthy the dignity of a great state that 
its governor should have no official residence. Therefore 
the General Assembly of 1907, with Governor Patterson's 
approval, made a suitable appropriation and bought the 
house which is now the governor's mansion, as the future 
official residence of the governors of Tennessee. Another 
house near the Capitol was bought to furnish more office 
room for conducting the increasing business of the state. 
This is called the Capitol Annex. 

The pension fund for soldiers who are no longer able to 
provide for themselves was increased $100,000 and for 
soldiers' widows $100,000, so that the state now pays for 
soldiers' pensions $300,000 and for widows' pensions 
$125,000 each year. 

In October, 1908, Mr. R. Z. Taylor and Mr. Quintin 
Rankin, two lawyers who lived in Trenton, went on business 
to the little village of Walnutlog in Obion County and 
stopped at a hotel to spend the night. About midnight 
they were taken by a large band of masked men, called 
"Night Riders," to the near-by woods on Reelfoot Lake, 
and Mr. Rankin was hanged by the neck and shot to death. 
Amid the confusion incident to the hanging and shooting 
of Mr. Rankin, Mr. Taylor escaped. This occurred while 
Governor Patterson was making his canvass against Mr. 
Tillman for reelection. He left his canvass to take care of 
itself, while he went to Obion County to take care that the 
laws of the state were enforced. As the civil officers 



PATTERSON'S ADMINISFRATION 275 

seemed unable do deal with the numerous '* Night Riders," 
the governor called out a part of the state guard and had a 
number of the "Night Riders" arrested and brought to 
trial for murder. Six were condemned to be hanged and 
two to serve twenty years each in the penitentiary. Those 
condemned were considered the leaders in the murder.* 

The causes of this crime were lawsuits about disputed 
titles to land lying around Reelfoot Lake and fishing privi- 
leges in the lake. The two lawyers were supposed to be 
in the employ of a land company that was trying, as the 
" Night Riders " thought, to take their homes and their 
fishing privileges from them. However this may have been, 
the men had no right to commit murder to settle their 
grievances. No one has the right to violate the laws of his 
state, and the governor's prompt action in bringing lawless 
men to trial met the approval of all good citizens. 

The General Assembly of 1909 passed a bill prohibiting 
the sale of intoxicating liquors anywhere in the state 
within four miles of a schoolhouse. Governor Patterson 
vetoed the bill, giving the following reasons for his action: 
First, that he had announced in his canvass that he would 
approve any prohibition measure, provided the people of 
the town or city to be affected wished to have such a law; 
but that he would not approve such a law when the 
people of the community had been given no opportunity 
to express their wishes, or had expressed themselves 
against it. Second, that the Democratic platform on 
which he had been elected announced the same principle ; 
therefore he could not in good faith approve the bill. 
The majority of the legislators replied that they had been 
elected with instructions from the people to pass such a 

* The condemned men appealed to the Supreme Court, and because the 
trial had been illegally conducted the cases were sent back tu the iQwer court 
for a new trial. 



2/6 



THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



bill, and they passed it over the governor's veto, thus 
making it a law. Similar action was taken on a bill pro- 
hibiting the manufacture of liquor in the state, and on an 
election law. 

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the 
Anti-saloon League were the most active and effective 
agents in creating the sentiment that caused the prohibition 
legislation. 

Though the governor and the General Assembly dif- 
fered on prohibition and election laws, they agreed on the 

subject of education, and 
Governor Patterson's admin- 
istration will be credited for 
some of the wisest and best 
things that have been done 
for the pubhc schools. In 
the beginning of his first term 
Governor Patterson appointed 
Hon. R. L. Jones of Chatta- 
nooga as State Superintend- 
ent of Public Instruction. 
He is a scholarly man, had 
been a teacher in almost every 
grade of school, had been a 
successful county superin- 
tendent, and an active worker 
in educational associations. 
He came to the office well equipped for his duties and has 
performed them faithfully and efficiently. Much of the 
recent legislation for the benefit of the schools is due to his 
good work and to that of his predecessor, S. A. Mynders. 
You will learn more fully of the schools in Chapters XLIII 
and XLIV, 




R. L. Jones 



PATTERSON'S ADMINISTRATION 277 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

This chapter and the one following may be considered as current 
history. Most of the subjects mentioned in it have been discussed m 
hearing of a majority of the girls and boys in school. Let the teacher 
take advantage of this to make the lessons in history present reality in- 
stead of romance. To many pupils John Sevier is almost as mythical 
a character as Achilles, while Columbus and De Soto are about as real 
as Neptune and Jason. One means of correcting this confusion of fact 
and fable in children's minds is a direct appeal to their personal knowl- 
edge and experience. 



CHAPTER XLII 

ELECTION OF GOVERNOR HOOPER 

The governor of Tennessee has the power to pardon 
people who have been convicted of crime whenever facts 
are presented to him that were not known to the court, or 
for any other reason that the governor may think sufficient 
for granting a pardon. 

In the four years of his administration Governor Patter- 
son pardoned one thousand four hundred and twelve 
criminals who had been sentenced by the courts to the 
penitentiary or to county prisons. This was a much larger 
number than had ever before been pardoned by any gov- 
ernor of the state. Many people thought this was an 
abuse of the pardoning power, and said that it was useless 
to go to the trouble and expense of catching and convict- 
ing outlaws for the governor to pardon as soon as they 
were sent to prison. They also said that the governor 
showed more interest in " machine politics " than he did in 
trying to enforce the laws, especially those passed by the 
legislature over his veto. On the other hand, the friends 
of Governor Patterson said that he had made a good gov- 
ernor', that he had enforced the laws to the extent of 
his authority, and had used the pardoning power only in 
cases of justice and humanity. 

In the spring of 1910 these conflicting opinions divided 
the Democratic party into two hostile factions, the " Inde- 
pendents," who opposed Governor Patterson, and the 
" Regulars," who supported him. Political excitement be- 
came intense and partisan feeling very bitter. 

278 



ELECTION OF GOVERNOR HOOPER 



279 



The executive committee of the ''Regulars" appointed 
a primary election to be held in June to select candidates 
for governor, judges of the Supreme Court and the Court 
of Civil Appeals, and some other state offices. The " In- 
dependents " said that this committee did not properly 
represent the Democratic party, therefore they refused to 
take any part in the primary election, called a convention 
of their own, and nominated candidates for all of the offices 
named except for governor. 
The Republicans indorsed 
these independent candi- 
dates, and at the regular 
election on the first Thurs- 
day in August they were 
elected by more than forty 
thousand majority. 

On the 1 6th of August 
the Republican convention 
nominated Benjamin W. 
Hooper for governor. The 
''Regulars" had already 
nominated Governor Pat- 
terson for reelection. The 
Independent Democrats 

met in convention, Sep- Benjamin W. Hooper 

tember 14, and indorsed the nomination of Hooper. After 
this Governor Patterson withdrew from the race, giving 
as his reason that he did not wish to cause division among 
the Democrats, as he considered the unity and harmony of 
the Democratic party more important than the political 
ambition or welfare of any man. The " Independents " 
replied that he should have thought of this before the 
division had actually occurred. The "Regulars" then 




28o THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

nominated Senator Robert L. Taylor in Patterson's stead, 
but he was defeated by Benjamin W. Hooper at the regu- 
lar election in November. 

Governor Hooper is the only Republican who has ever 
been elected governor of Tennessee by the free choice of 
a majority of the voters of the whole state. Brownlow and 
Senter were elected when many of the best citizens were 
not allowed to vote. When Governor Hawkins was elected 
there were four candidates, and he received more votes 
than any other candidate, but not a majority of the votes 
cast. 

Benjamin W. Hooper was born at Newport, Tennessee, 
October 13, 1870. Being left an orphan at an early age, 
he received his childhood training in St. John Orphanage 
of the Episcopal Church at Knoxville. The governor con- 
siders his early education in the Orphanage the most val- 
uable training of his life, and he expresses the greatest 
love and respect for the institution and its management. 
His later education was received at Carson Newman 
College. After graduating there he studied law in the 
office of Judge H. N. Gate and began practice at the age 
of twenty-one. 

He was elected and served as representative in the Ten- 
nessee Legislature of 1893 and 1895. In the Spanish- 
American war of 1898 he was captain of Co. C, 6th United 
States Volunteer Infantry. From 1906 to 19 10 he was 
Assistant United States District Attorney for the Eastern 
District of Tennessee. As you have already learned, he 
was nominated for governor by the RepubHcans in August, 
1910, by the Independent Democrats in September, elected 
in November, and began his term of office in January, 
1911. 

Governor Hooper announced that he intended to give 



ELECTION OF GOVERNOR HOOPER 



281 



the people of Tennessee a clean, business-like administra- 
tion of the affairs of the state. That having been elected 
by both Republicans and Democrats he stood only for 
honest and efficient government and impartial enforcement 
of the laws. 

In the offices that are filled by the governor's appoint- 
ment he has placed some Democrats and some Republi- 
cans. One of the most important of these offices is that 
of State Superintendent of 
Public Instruction. To this 
responsible position Profes- 
sor J. W. Brister of Nash- 
ville has been appointed. 
He is a scholarly gentleman 
and an efficient teacher. 
As a professor in Peabody 
Normal College and as an 
instructor in state institutes 
he has had much experience 
in the training of teachers, 
and good opportunities for 
becoming acquainted with 
school conditions and needs 
in the state. The names 
of other appointed officials 
can be found in the tables of the appendix to your 
book. 

Governor Hooper's administration has been in existence 
only a few months ; therefore, very Httle history could now 
be given of his work or of the work of any of his official 
household. 




J. W. Brister 



CHAPTER XLIII 

SCHOOLS 

In Chapter XVI. you have been told of the pioneer schools 
and of the first academies and colleges in the state. Since 
that time many schools, both great and small, have grown 
up in Tennessee. Among the great denominational insti- 
tutions are the following: University of the South, at 
Sewanee, an Episcopal school ; Vanderbilt University, at 
Nashville, a Methodist school ; South Western Presbyterian 
University, at Clarksville, a Presbyterian school ; Cum- 
berland University, at Lebanon, a Cumberland Presbyterian 
school ; South Western Baptist University, at Jackson, a 
Baptist school ; Christian Brothers' College, at Memphis, 
a Catholic school. Besides these there are many special 
and technical schools and colleges, and many private insti- 
tutions of every grade. 

The great schools for colored people are Fisk University, 
Central Tennessee College, and Roger Williams Univer- 
sity, all at Nashville. These are not all of their schools 
for higher education, but are the leading ones in endow- 
ment, equipment, and numbers attending them. 

The great state institutions are as follows : — 

1. School for Deaf Mutes, at Knoxville. 

2. School for the Blind, at Nashville. 

3. Tennessee Industrial School, at Nashville. 

4. University of Tennessee, at Knoxville. 

5. Peabody Normal College, at Nashville. 

6. The Tennessee public schools, all over the state. 

282 



SCHOOLS 



283 



The School for Deaf Mutes, at Knoxville, and the 
School for the Blind, at Nashville, have been mentioned in 
Chapter XXIII. Their names show the classes of people 
for whose education they are intended. They are among 
the greatest and noblest institutions of the state, and open 
the way to pleasure and usefulness to boys and girls who 



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School for the Blind, Nashville 



would otherwise become ignorant and dependent men and 
women. 

The Tennessee Industrial School was founded in 1887, 
chiefly by the generosity of Colonel E. W. Cole, who gave 
a good farm of about one hundred acres, with good 
buildings, and $5000 to establish the school. Mr. W. C. 
Kilvington was made superintendent of this institution, 
and, from the bep:inning to the present, it has flourished 
under his wise and able management. It is a school for 



284 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

children who have no parents and no homes, though some 
others who pay for their tuition are admitted. The state 
makes annual appropriations for the support of the school, 
and each county is entitled to send a certain number of 
pupils. It has a reformatory division distinct from the main 
school. The boys and girls are in separate departments. 
They spend half days in school, and half days at work on the 
farm, in the gardens, in the shops, or at domestic duties. 

The founding of Blount College, in 1794, has been men- 
tioned in Chapter XVI. There are no written records of 
the college until 1804. A little after this date we find 
among the pupils' names Barbara Blount, Polly McClung, 
Jennie Armstrong, and several others which show that 
"girls in college" is no new departure in Tennessee. 

In 1806 Congress appropriated large grants of land for a 
state college or colleges. In 1807 this appropriation was 
combined with the funds of Blount College, forming a state 
institution. The school was located at Poplar Spring, near 
Knoxville, and the name was changed to East Tennessee 
College. In 1826 the college was removed from Poplar 
Spring to its present site, " Barbara Hill," a piece of 
ground named in honor of Miss Barbara Blount, daughter 
of Governor William Blount. In 1840 the name was 
changed to East Tennessee University. 

The school had varying fortunes, usually not very good 
ones, until the Civil War, when the school suspended. 
Each army used the buildings at several different times in 
the course of the war. After the war the Federal govern- 
ment paid the trustees $15,000 for damages done the build- 
ings, grounds, etc. In 1869 the fund appropriated by 
Congress for establishing an Agricultural and Mechanical 
College was given to the University, and the Agricultural 
and Mechanical College was organized as one of its depart- 



I 



SCHOOLS 



285 



ments. From small beginnings, after the war, the Univer- 
sity has grown to be one of the strongest and best of the 
South. In 1879 its name was once more changed, and it 
became the University of Tennessee. 




University of Tennessee 

George Peabody was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, 
in 1795. In 1812 he went to Georgetown, Maryland, and 
became a clerk in a store. In 181 5 he went into business 
for himself in Baltimore. In 1829 he went to London and 
engaged in the iron trade. In 1837 he became a London 
banker and soon acquired an immense fortune. In his 
youth he had little opportunity for schooHng, and he 
resolved that the boys and girls who wished to learn should 
have better privileges than had fallen to his lot. In 1867 
he appointed a board of trustees and gave them $3,500,000, 



286 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

with instructions to use the interest on this money for the 
education of the children in the southern states. This is 
the " Peabody Educational Fund." 

Peabody died in 1869, and his body was brought from 
London to his native land in a British ship of war escorted 
by an American war vessel as if he had been a president 
or a king. He deserved this high honor, as he was one 
of the greatest and best men that ever lived. He made 
miUions upon milHons of dollars, and gave the money 
away to benefit the poor and the needy, and to make peo- 
ple wiser and better. The Peabody Educational Fund 
was only one of his great gifts. He made many others 
both in England and America. 

From 1872 to 1875 the demand for competent teachers 
was greater than could be supplied. The trustees of the 
Peabody Fund had been helping schools all over the state, 
but had concluded that the best way to help the schools 
would be to establish a normal college for the training of 
teachers. In March, 1875, the legislature created the 
State Board of Education, but gave them no money to 
estabhsh a normal school. The University of Nashville 
offered the use of its grounds and buildings, and the Pea- 
body Trustees furnished $12,000. December i, 1875, 
Peabody Normal College was opened, with Dr. Eben S. 
Stearns as its president. At the first session there were 
only sixty pupils, but the school has grown steadily in 
favor and usefulness, and is to-day one of the great educa- 
tional institutions of the South. The first state appropri- 
ation was $10,000, made in April, 1881. Since that time 
the appropriations have been doubled. 

In 1909 this school was made an endowed teachers' 
college. An endowed school is one that owns money that 
may be loaned or property that may be rented to bring an 



SCHOOLS 



287 



income to the school independent of tuition or other fees. 
The University of Nashville gave to Peabody Normal 
College the necessary grounds and buildings. The trustees 
of Peabody Educational Fund gave $1,000,000. The state 
of Tennessee gave $250,000. The city of Nashville gave 
;^200,ooo. Davidson County gave $100,000. There are some 
other gifts not yet made public, and it is known that the 
college has started its new career with more than $2,000,000. 



Peabody Normal College, University of Nashville 

The public schools of Tennessee really began in 1873, 
though there were many ** school acts" before that time. 
The first school tax levied in the state was in 18 16, and 
from that date until i860 there was almost continuous 
legislation upon the school question. The legislatures 
devised elaborate school systems that contained many 
good features, but always embracing some inefficient or 
foolish provisions. In 1848 the president and directors of 
the state bank were made the State Board of Common 
School Commissioners. At one time the state treasurer 
was made, ex officio, state superintendent ; and various 



288 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Other acts of like character were passed. The result was 
that the census of i860 showed that about one fifth of the 
grown white people of the state had never seen the inside 
of a schoolhouse. 

After the war the condition was worse, as the many- 
good private schools in the state had been forced to sus- 
pend, and there had been absolutely no schools for four 
years. The negroes had been freed, and they were all 
illiterate. The condition was alarming to all thoughtful 
people. The legislature of 1867 provided a good school 
law„ but the people were not prepared to make use of it, 
and the plan failed for lack of popular favor. 

From 1865 to 1873 the friends of education worked 
earnestly for some solution of the difficult problem. Dr. 
Sears, agent of the Peabody Fund, aided many schools, 
A. S. Barnes & Co. and D. Appleton & Co. and others 
gave more than one hundred thousand volumes of school- 
books, and the State Teachers' Association, organized in 
July, 1865, put forth its best efforts to advance the cause 
of popular education. 

Slowly the prejudice against negro schools and against 
pubUc schools of all kinds gave way ; and slowly the peo- 
ple grew able to build schoolhouses and to spare their 
children from the fields. In 1872 the State Teachers' 
Association prepared a bill and memorial to be submitted 
to the next legislature. With slight changes and amend- 
ments this bill became the school law by act of the legis- 
lature in March, 1873. The principal provisions of this 
old law, under which the public schools began, have been 
given in Chapter XXXIII. 

The school law, however, did not at once make good 
schools. There was an immense amount of work to be 
done in laying out school districts, building houses, elect- 



SCHOOLS 



289 



ing capable school officers, and preparing the minds of the 
people to receive and adopt a system which was new and 
strange to most of them, and against which many people 
had very bitter prejudices. 

There are still living many men and women who were 
members of the State Teachers' Association in the seventies 
and were in the " thick of the fight " for estabhshing the 
public schools. By the younger members of the Associa- 
tion, these veterans are usually called the '' Old Guard." 
You would be much astonished to hear the Old Guard 
relate the amusing and provoking incidents of the early 
days of the public schools. The ignorance, the prejudice, 
the malice and sophistry, then arrayed against them would 
now be considered as good evidences of insanity. 

The state superintendents held "teachers' institutes" 
in all parts of the state. The name of these assemblies was 
understood well enough 
then, but to the younger 
generation it is decid- 
edly misleading. They 
were not summer schools 
for the instruction of 
teachers at all. They 
were really neighbor- 
hood mass meetings at 
which lawyers, doctors, 
preachers, teachers, and 
popular orators of all 
calUngs made speeches 

upon educational subjects. They rarely, if ever, continued 
longer than two days, and were intended to instruct the 
people and arouse interest in education. They accom- 
plished their purpose, justified the wisdom of their found- 




A Davidson County Schoolhouse in 1799 



290 



THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



ers, and slowly passed away to be followed by the real 
teachers' institute in which systematic instruction is given 
in the science and art of teaching. 

Opposition to public schools gradually fell under the 
telling blows of the institute and the thorough work of the 

teachers and 



superintendents. 
Log shanties and 
crude appliances 
have been almost 
wholly swept 
away by the on- 
ward march of 
progress, and 
comfortable, con- 
venient school- 
houses with 
modern means 
for instruction 
are to be seen 
in every town 
and most country 
places. The 
public schools 
rest upon the 
firm basis of 
popular favor, the whole people have better educational 
advantages than ever before in the history of the state, 
and the " Old Guard " feel that their labor has not been 
in vain. 

Without in the slightest degree disparaging the services 
of other gentlemen who have held the office, there are four 
state superintendents that deserve special mention in con- 




A Davidson County Schoolhouse in 1899 



SCHOOLS 



291 





Leon Trousdale 



Thomas H- Paine 



nection with the rise and progress of the pubUc schools. 
These are Leon Trousdale, Thomas H. Paine, Frank M. 
Smith, and W. R. Garrett. They were so thoroughly 
identified with the public school movement from the be- 
ginning, so entirely familiar with all of its phases, that when 
called to the ofifice of state superintendent they were able 
to accomplish what others probably could not have done. 
They have so impressed themselves upon the school sys- 





Frank M. Smith 



W. R. Garrett 



292 THE STATE SINCE THE CIYIL WAR 

tern of the state that their influence must be felt to the 

end of its history. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. Schools and colleges in 1796. 

2. Church schools now in Tennessee. 

3. Other schools in the state, 

4. Schools for negroes. 

5. State schools. 

6. School for the deaf and for the blind. 

7. Tennessee Industrial School. 

8. Girls in Blount College. 

9. How did Blount College become a state school ? • 

10. Present location and second change of name. 

11. Effects of the war on the university. 

12. Agricultrual and Mechanical College fund. 

13. Present condition of the university. 

14. Sketch of George Peabody until he became wealthy. 

15. Why was he so highly honored at his funeral ? 

16. What is the Peabody Educational Fund ? 

17. What is a normal school ? 

18. Founding of Peabody Normal College. 

19. Present condition of the College. 

20. Real beginning of the public schools of Tennessee. 

21. First school tax. 

22. School legislation from 181 5 to i860. 

23. Educational condition in Tennessee in i860. 

24. Conditions in 1865. 

25. The law of 1867. 

26. Work done before 1873. 

27. The law of 1873. See Chapter XXXI II. for provisions. 

28. The work to be done after the law was passed. 

29. The "Old Guard.'' 

30. First teachers' institutes. 

31. Present condition of public schools. 

32. P'our famous state superintendents. 






CHAPTER XLIV 

SCHOOLS— Continued 

The school law of Tennessee, as adopted in 1873, pro- 
vided that each county should be divided into school dis-- 
tricts, and three school directors chosen in each who should 
have control of the schools in their respective districts. 
In a few years there were a great number of little districts, 
each having its own way about books, teachers, length of 
school terms, and nearly everything else. One district 
would have a term of six months, another in the same 
county would have a term of only three months. Some 
would pay good salaries and get good teachers, others 
would employ the cheapest teachers to be had. As no 
two districts were required to use the same kind of books, 
they generally used different kinds. Pupils who moved 
from one district to another frequently had to lay aside 
every schoolbook they had been using and buy a new set. 
This was confusing to children and expensive to parents. 

When Governor McMillin went into office in 1899, he 
appointed Morgan C Fitzpatrick as State Superintendent, 
and decided that they would make an end to the confusion 
and trouble about schoolbooks. The governor sent to the 
legislature his recommendation on this subject, and the 
result was the " Uniform Text-book Law " mentioned in 
Chapter XXXVIII. This was the most important school 
legislation in Governor McMillin's administration. Under 
the provisions of this law and by the governor's appoint- 

293 



294 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

ment, the first Text-book Commission was composed as 
follows : — 

Text-book Sub Commission Text-book Commission 

Wharton S. Jones, Chairman Benton McMillin, President 

Charles Mason, Secretary Morgan C. Fitzpatrick, Sec- 

W. N. Billingsly retary 

F. M. Bowling Charles S. Douglas 

J. G. Stinson Thomas H. Paine 

A. D. Wharton 

This Commission made contracts for books to be used in 
all public schools of the state, and to be sold at a fixed 
price, for five years, beginning September i, 1899. 

Governor Frazier, in the beginning of his term of office 
in 1903, appointed Seymour A. Mynders of Jackson as 
State Superintendent. Governor Cox continued this ap- 
pointment through his administration. Mr. Mynders at 
once began an educational campaign of the state. With 
the assistance of Professor P. P. Claxton of the University 
of Tennessee, and a number of other gentlemen, he held 
educational meetings in every part of the state and aroused 
the people to the importance of improving the schools. 
A law, passed in 1899, authorizing counties to establish 
and maintain high schools, was brought prominently to the 
attention of all the people, and counties were urged to use 
this privilege for the purpose of advancing the standard of 
public education. 

Some very important acts of the legislature in this ad- 
ministration also helped the schools. 

The little school districts were abolished and the civil 
districts of each county were made the school districts. 
Small schools were thus combined to make larger and 
better ones. The Montgomery County School Board was 



SCHOOLS 295 

created, and the control of all of the schools in Montgomery 
County was given to this county board. This made the 
management of the schools uniform, lengthened the terms, 
improved the teaching, and reduced the expenses in that 
county. The school fund was increased by a provision that 
each year all money remaining in the state treasury, after 
setting aside enough to meet all obhgations of the state, 
should be given to the public schools. Before this money 
was divided among all the counties $ 50,000 was to be given 
to those counties that could not, with reasonable taxation, 
keep their schools open a profitable length of time in each 
year. 

The contracts for schoolbooks made by the first Text- 
book Commission expired August 31, 1904. The second 
Commission, which adopted books and made contracts at 
fixed prices for them for five years, was composed of the 
following group of state officials, superintendents, and 
teachers : — 

Text-book Sub Commission Text-book Commission 

A. L. Todd, Chairman James B. Frazier, President 

J. A. Cotten, Secretary Seymour A. Mynders, Secretary 

J. H. Cook P. L. Harned 

W. S. Gass H. D. Huffaker 

A. H. Wright J. H. Kirkland 

The four years of Governor Patterson's administration 
form a period of great progress in school legislation. 
The governor and Superintendent Jones devoted their 
attention especially to the following: i. Unifying the 
county school systems. 2. Improving the opportunities 
for teachers to prepare themselves for their work. 3. In- 
creasing the schocj fund. 

In 1907 a law was passed abolishing the office of district 

TENN. HIST. — 19 



296 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

school director and creating for each county a board of 
education of five members to be elected by the people of 
the county. This county board has control of all pubhc 
school property in the county, employs teachers, fixes sala- 
ries, equahzes the length of school terms, and has general 
supervision of all of the public schools. This unifies the 
county school system and is one of the best features in our 
school law. 

To have the best teachers, it is necessary to have normal 
schools for their special education and training, and to 
offer salaries that will secure the service of the best class of 
people. Therefore, the governor in 1909, advised the 
passing of the "General Education Bill," and it is now a law. 

This bill provides for establishing and maintaining three 
normal schools for white teachers and one for colored 
teachers. It also provides that each year one fourth of all 
the money received by the state shall be distributed among 
the schools. A part is to be given to the University of 
Tennessee, a part to the normal schools, a part to the 
county high schools, and the largest part to the common 
schools. The law contains many other provisions that can- 
not be given here. It repeals many parts of the former 
school laws. It relieves the legislature of the duty of 
making special appropriations at each session for the sup- 
port of the various schools of the state, and enables school 
officers to know at the beginning of the year how much 
money they will receive from the state. All together, 
it is perhaps the greatest educational act in the laws of 
Tennessee. 

The book contracts made in 1904 expired August 31, 
1909. For the purpose of making new adoptions and con- 
tracts, the governor called the third Text-book Commis- 
sion to meet in Nashville, June 14. It was as follows: — 



SCHOOLS 



297 




298 THE STATE SIXCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Text-book Sub Commission Text-book Commission 

P. A. Lyon, Chairman Malcolm R. Patterson, President 

W. S. Dugger, Secretary R. L. Jones, Secretary 

W. F. Albright W. N. BilHngsly 

J. H. Bayer J. L. Brooks 

B. O. Duggan A. L. Todd 

The new series of text-books adopted by the Commission 
went into use September i, 1909, and will be the school 
books of 1 mnessee until September, 1914. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

1. The bad effects of the old district school system. 

2. The action taken by Governor McMillin. 

3. Provisions of the Uniform Text-book Law. Chapter XXXVIII. 

4. Duties of the Sub Commission. Of the Commission. 

5. The Mynders educational campaign. 

6. The three chief purposes of Governor Patterson and Superin- 

tendent Jones. 

7. What is a real normal school? 

8. The County Board Law. 

9. Some of the provisions of the General Education Bill. 



CHAPTER XLV 

CONCLUSION 

A STATE under ordinary or natural conditions will be 
what its people make it. The people compose the state, 
and it will be good or bad, great or ignoble, according to 
the conduct of its citizens. The girls and boys who read 
this book will become the citizens of Tennessee, and the 
fair fame of their state will be in their keeping. They will 
become not only citizens of Tennessee, but of the great 
American Union of States. In this Union Tennessee has 
borne a glorious part in the past, and her character in the 
future will be whatever her sons and daughters make it. 

In order that we may know something of the grand part 
that Tennessee has taken in national affairs let us review 
some of the facts that have already been stated, and add to 
this review a few others not yet presented. 

In 1865 there were thirty-five states in the Union. Fif- 
teen of them were older than Tennessee, thirteen of them 
had much more wealth and greater population, and five 
others were nearly her equals in these respects. So we 
see that in age, wealth, and population Tennessee was 
about an average state. 

There had been seventeen Presidents, or an average of 
about one President to two states. Tennessee had fur- 
nished three of these, Andrew Jackson, 1829 to 1837; 
James K. Polk, 1845 to 1849; Andrew Johnson, 1865 to 
1869. This was six times the number to which she would 
have been entitled in an equal distribution. 

299 



300 THE STATE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Of Cabinet officers Tennessee has had about three times 
the average share : George W. Campbell was for a time 
Secretary of the Treasury under Madison ; John H. Eaton 
was Jackson's first Secretary of War; Felix Grundy was 
Attorney General under Van Buren ; John Bell was W. H. 
Harrison's Secretary of War ; Cave Johnson was Polk's 
Postmaster General; Aaron V. Brown was Buchanan's 
first Postmaster General; David M. Key was Postmaster 
General under Hayes ; and Horace Maynard held the same 
office. 

Tennessee has sent abroad more than twice the number 
of United States ministers to which she was entitled, and, 
considering her interior position and Httle connection with 
foreign affairs, the number is far in excess of that of other 
states. John H. Eaton was minister to Spain in 183 1, 
William H. Polk to Italy in 1845, Andrew J. Donelson to 
Germany in 1848, Neill S. Brown to Russia in 1850, Wil- 
liam Trousdale to Brazil in 1852, John L. Marling to Ven- 
ezuela in 1853, James Williams to Turkey in 1858, Allen A. 
Hall to Bolivia in 1863, Horace Maynard to Turkey in 
1875. Besides these she has sent a great number of con- 
suls to foreign ports. 

John Bell and James K. Polk were speakers of the 
national House of Representatives. Hugh L. White and 
Isham G. Harris were presidents pj'o tern, of the United 
States Senate. John Catron and Howell E. Jackson were 
judges of the Supreme Court of the United States. 

A Tennessee Postmaster General revolutionized the 
mailing system of the United States by the introduc- 
tion of postage stamps during President Polk's admin- 
istration, and the first telegraphic news message ever 
sent in America announced the nomination of President 
Polk. 



CONCLUSION 301 

In war Tennessee has been no less famed than in peace. 
Sevier and his soldiers turned the tide of the Revolution at 
Kings Mountain and helped to secure American indepen- 
dence. The Creek War was fought and won by Tennes- 
seeans with almost no aid from other states. In the southern 
department of the United States, Tennessee furnished 
most of the soldiers for the War of 18 12, and the only gen- 
eral who won national fame. For the Mexican War Ten- 
nessee offered ten times her quota of soldiers. In the 
Civil War there were no better or more earnest and patri- 
otic soldiers in the Federal Army than those from Tennes- 
see. There was never on earth a better assembly of 
soldiers than the Confederate Army. Tennessee furnished 
one hundred thousand of these ; General Cheatham was 
called " the bravest of the brave," and General Forrest 
"the Marshal Ney " of the Confederacy. In the war 
with Spain Tennesseeans cheerfully volunteered from every 
section of the state for service under the old flag, and in 
the West Indies and the far-off Philippine Islands gave 
proof of their courage and patriotism. 

In every department of the Federal government and in 
every phase of our country's history Tennessee's service 
has been remarkably great, and her influence out of all 
proportion to her population, wealth, or local advantages. 
Only Virginia and Massachusetts have exercised more 
influence in national affairs. 

What have been the causes of this .? The long lines of 
brilliant orators, of sagacious statesmen, of brave soldiers, 
of wise jurists, of able officers for the army and the navy, 
of scholarly men and noble women, have not made our 
state great by accident. They did it by their intellectual 
force and sterling honesty. They could be trusted because 
they studied their duties well, and had the courage and 



302 THE STATE SI^XE THE CIWIL WAR 

honesty to perform them faithfully. The conduct of her 
good citizens has made the state famous. 

All of this renown is no cause for vainglory or boasting 
on the part of young Tennesseeans. The fame of the past 
can do you no good unless you set its noble examples 
before you as the ideals of your lives. As you close this 
brief history of a glorious commonwealth, do so with the 
resolution to be worthy of your grand inheritance of honors 
bravely won and nobly kept. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? 

it is suggested that each pupil be encouraged to get out of this chap- 
ter all that he can without the aid of topics made by author or teacher. 
Let him make his own topics. After this let the teacher point out what- 
ever has escaped the pupil's observation. 

The bare facts of any story may be taught by systematic drill. This 
method, however, would have little value in the teaching of patriotism 
honor, courage, good manners, or personal and civic virtue. 



APPENDIX 



CONSTITUTION OF TENNESSEE, 1870 

This constitution was framed by a convention which assembled at Nashville, 
January lo, 1870, and adjourned February 23, 1870 ; was adopted by a vote 
of the people of 98,128 for to 33,872 against, on the twenty-sixth day of 
March, 1870. 

Preamble and Declaration. 

Whereas, The people of the territory of the United States south of the 
River Ohio, having the right of admission into the General Government as a 
member State thereof, consistent with the Constitution of the United States, 
and the act of cession of the State of North Carolina, recognizing the ordi- 
nance for the government of the territory of the United States north-west of 
the Ohio River, by their delegates and representatives in convention assem- 
bled, did, on the sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
seven hundred and ninety-six, ordain and establish a Constitution or form of 
government, and mutually agreed with each other to form themselves into a 
free and independent State, by the name of the State of Tennessee ; and, 

Whereas, The General Assembly of the said State of Tennessee (pursuant 
to the third section of the tenth article of the Constitution), by an act passed 
on the twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
eight hundred and thirty-three, entitled " An act to provide for the calling of 
a convention," passed in obedience to the declared will of the voters of this 
State, as expressed at the general election of August, in the year of our Lord 
one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, did authorize and provide for 
the election, by the people, of delegates and representatives, to meet at Nash- 
ville, in Davidson County, on the third Monday in May, in the year of our 
Lord one thousand eight hunrlred and thirty-four, for the purpose of revising 
and amending or changing the Constitution; and said convention did accord- 
ingly meet and form a Constitution, which was submitted to the people, and 
was ratified by them, on the first Friday in March, in the year of our Lord one 
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five; and, 

Whereas, The General Assembly of said State of Tennessee, under and in 
virtue of the first section of the first article of the Declaration of Rights, con- 

.i 



ii APPENDIX 

tained in and forming a part of the existing Constitution of the State, by an 
act passed on the fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord one 
thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, did provide for the calling of a con- 
vention by the people of the State, to meet at Nashville on the second Mon- 
day in January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and 
seventy, and for the election of delegates for the purpose of amending or 
revising the present Constitution, or forming and making a new Constitution; 
and. 

Whereas, the people of the State, in the mode provided by said act, have 
called said convention and elected delegates to represent them therein; now, 
therefore. 

We, the delegates and representatives of the people of the State of Tennes- 
see, duly elected, and in convention assembled, in pursuance of said act of 
Assembly, have ordained and established the following Constitution and form 
of government for this State, which we recommend to the people of Tennessee 
tor their ratification; that is to say: 



ARTICLE I. 
Declaration of Rights. 

Section I. That all power is inherent in the people, and all free govern- 
ments are founded on their authority and instituted for their peace, safety, and 
happiness; for the advancement of those ends they have, at all times, an 
inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government 
in such manner as they may think proper. 

Sec. 2. That government being instituted for common benefit, the doctrine 
of non-resistance against arbitrary power and oppression is absurd, slavish, 
and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind. 

Sec. 3. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship 
Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience; that no 
man can of right be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of wor- 
ship, or to maintain any minister against his consent ; that no human authority 
can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience; 
and that no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establish- 
ment or mode of worship. 

Sec. 4. That no political or religious test, other than an oath to support 
the Constitution of the United States and of this State, shall ever be required 
as a quahfication to any office or pubhc trust under this State. 

Sec. 5. That elections shall be free and equal; and the right of suffrage, 
as hereinafter declared, shall never be denied to any person entitled thereto, 
except upon a conviction by a jury of some infamous crime, previously ascer- 
tained and declared by law, and judgment thereon by a court of competent 
jurisdiction. 



APPENDIX iii 

Sec. 6. That the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate, and no reli- 
gious or political test shall ever be required as a qualification for jurors. 

Sec. 7. That the people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers, 
and possessions from unreasonable searches and seizures; and that general 
warrants, whereby an officer may be commanded to search suspected places, 
without evidence of the fact committed, or to seize any person or persons not 
named, whose offenses are not particularly described and supported by evi- 
dence, are dangerous to liberty, and ought not to be granted. 

Sec. 8. That no man shall be taken or imprisoned or disseized of his 
freehold, liberties, or privileges, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any manner 
destroyed or deprived of his life, liberty, or property, but by the judgment of 
his peers or the law of the land. 

Sec. 9. That in all criminal prosecutions the accused hath the right to be 
heard by himself and his counsel; to demand the nature and cause of the 
accusation against him, and to have a copy thereof; to meet the witnesses 
face to face; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; 
and in prosecutions by indictment or presentment, a speedy public trial by an 
impartial jury of the county in which the crime shall have been committed, 
and shall not be compelled to give evidence against himself. 

Sec. 10. That no person shall, for the same offense, be twice put in 
jeopardy of life or limb. 

Sec. II. That laws made for the punishment of acts committed previous to 
the existence of such laws, and by them only declared criminal, are contrary 
to the principles of a free government; wherefore no ex post facto law shall be 
made. 

Sec. 12. That no conviction shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture 
of estate. The estate of such persons as shall destroy their own lives shall 
descend or vest as in case of natural death. If any person be killed by casualty, 
there shall be no forfeiture in consequence thereof. 

Sec. 13. That no person arrested and confined in jail shall be treated with 
unnecessary rigor. 

Sec. 14. That no person shall be put to answer any criminal charge but 
by presentment, indictment, or impeachment. 

Sec. 15. That all prisoners shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless 
for capital offenses, when the proof is evident or the presumption great ; and 
the privileges of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless when, 
in case of rebellion or invasion, the General Assembly shall declare the public 
safety requires it. 

Sec. 16. That excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines 
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. 

Sec. 1 7. That all courts shall be open, and every man, for an injury done 
him in his lands, goods, person, or reputation, shall have remedy by due 
course of law, and right and justice administered without sale, denial, or delay. 
Suits may be brought against the State in such manner and in such courts as 
the Legislature may by law direct. 



IV APPENDIX 

Sec. 1 8. The Legislature shall pass no law authorizing imprisonment for 
debt in civil cases. 

Sec. 19. That the printing presses shall be free to every person to examine 
the proceedings of the Legislature, or of any branch or officer of the Govern- 
ment ; and no law shall ever be made to restrain the right thereof. The free 
communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the invaluable rights of 
man, and every citizen may freely speak, write, and print on any subject, 
being responsible for the abuse of that liberty. But in prosecutions for the 
publication of papers investigating the official conduct of officers or men in 
public capacity, the truth thereof may be given in evidence ; and in all indict- 
ments for libel the jury shall have a right to determine the law and the facts, 
under the direction of the court, as in other criminal cases. 

Sec. 20. That no retrospective law, or law impairing the obligations of 
contracts, shall be made. 

Sec. 21. That no man's particular services shall be demanded, or property 
taken or applied to public use, without the consent of his representatives, or 
without just compensation being made therefor. 

Sec. 22. That perpetuities and monopolies are contrary to the genius of 
a free State, and shall not be allowed. 

Sec. 23. That the citizens have a right, in a peaceable manner, to assemble 
together for their common good, to instruct their representatives, and apply 
to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances, or 
other proper purposes, by address or remonstrance. 

Sec. 24. That the sure and certain defense of a free people is a well-regu- 
lated militia; and, as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to 
freedom, they ought to be avoided as far as the circumstances and safety of 
the community will admit; and that in all cases the military shall be kept in 
strict subordination to the civil authority. 

Sec. 25. That no citizen of this State, except such as are employed in the 
army of the United States or militia in actual service, shall be subjected to 
punishment under the martial or military law. That martial law, in the sense 
of the unrestricted power of military officers or others to dispose of the 
persons, liberties, or property of the citizen, is inconsistent with the principles 
of free government, and is not confided to any department of the government 
of this State. 

Sec. 26. That the citizens of this State have a right to keep and to bear 
arms for their common defense; but the Legislature shall have power, by law. 
to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime. 

Sec. 27. That no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house 
without the consent of the owner, nor in time of wai but in a manner pre- 
scribed by law. 

Sec. 28. That no citizen of this State shall be compelled to bear arms, pro- 
vided he will pay an equivalent, to be ascertained by law. 

Sec. 29. That an equal participation in the free navigation of the Mississippi 
is one of the inherent rights of the citizens of this State ; it cannot, there- 



APPENDIX V 

fore, be conceded to any prince, potentate, power, person or persons 
whatever. 

Sec. 30. That no hereditary emoluments, privileges, or honors, shall be 
granted or conferred in this State. 

Sec. 31. That the limits and boundaries of this State being ascertained, it 
is declared they are as hereafter mentioned — that is to say : Beginning on 
the extreme height of the Stone Mountain, at the place where the line of 
Virginia intersects it, in latitude thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes north; 
running thence along the extreme height of the said mountain to the place 
where the Watauga River breaks through it; thence a direct course to the 
top of the Yellow Mountain, where Bright's road crosses the same; thence 
along the ridge of said mountain, between the waters of Doe River and the 
waters of Rock Creek, to the place where the road crosses the Iron Mountain; 
from thence along the extreme height of said mountain to the place where 
Nolichucky River runs through the same; thence to the top of the Bald 
Mountain; thence along the extreme height of said mountain to the Painted 
Rock, on French Broad River; thence along the highest ridge of said moun- 
tain to the place where it is called the Great Iron or Smoky Mountain; thence 
along the extreme height of said mountain to the place where it is called the 
Unicoi or Unaka Mountain, between the Indian towns of Cowee and Old 
Chota; thence along the main ridge of the said mountain to the southern 
boundary of this State, as described in the act of cession of North Carolina 
to the United States of America; and that all the territory, lands, and waters 
lying west of the said line, as before mentioned, and contained within the 
chartered limits of the State of North Carolina, are within the boundaries and 
limits of this State, over which the people have the right of exercising sov- 
ereignty, and the right of soil, so far as is consistent with the Constitution of 
the United States, recognizing the Articles of Confederation, the Bill of 
Rights, and Constitution of North Carolina, the cession act of the said State, 
and the ordinance of Congress for the government of the territory north-west 
of the Ohio; Pi'ovided, Nothing herein contained shall extend to affect the 
claim or claims of individuals to any part of the soil which is recognized to 
them by the aforesaid cession act; And provided also. That the limits and 
jurisdiction of this State shall extend to any other land and territory now 
acquired, or that may hereafter be acquired, by compact or agreement with 
other States or otherwise, although such land and territory are not included 
within the boundaries hereinbefore designated. 

Sec. 32. That the erection of safe and comfortable prisons, and inspec- 
tion of prisons, and the humane treatment of prisoners shall be provided 
for. 

Sec. '}y'i^. That slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for 
crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, are forever prohibited 
in this State. 

Sec. 34. The General Assembly shall make no law recognizing the right of 
property in man. 



VI APPENDIX 

ARTICLE II. 

Distribution of Powers. 

Section i. The powers of the Government shall be divided into three 

distinct departments : the legislative, executive, and judicial. 

Sec. 2. No person or persons belonging to one of these departments shall 
exercise any of the powers properly belonging to either of the others, except 
in the cases herein directed or permitted. 

The Legislative Department. 

Sec. 3. The legislative authority of this State shall be vested in a General 
Assembly, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives, both 
dependent on the people, who shall hold their offices for two years from the 
day of the general election. 

Sec. 4. An enumeration of the qualified voters and an apportionment of 
the Representatives in the General Assembly shall be made in the year one 
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, and within every subsequent term of 
ten years. 

Sec. 5. The number of Representatives shall, at the several periods of mak- 
ing the enumeration, be apportioned among the several counties or districts, 
according to the number of qualified voters in each, and shall not exceed 
seventy-five until the population of the State shall be one million and a half, 
and shall never exceed ninety-nine; P)-ovided, That any county having two- 
thirds of the ratio shall be entitled to one member. 

Sec. 6. The number of Senators shall, at the several periods of making the 
enumeration, be apportioned among the several counties or districts, accord- 
ing to the number of qualified electors in each, and shall not exceed one-third 
the number of Representatives. In apportioning the Senators among the 
different counties the fraction that may be lost by any county or counties in 
apportionment of members to the House of Representatives shall be made up 
to such county or counties in the Senate as near as may be practicable. 
When a district is composed of two or more counties they shall be adjoining, 
and no counties shall be divided in forming a district. 

Sec. 7. The first election for Senators and Representatives shall be held on 
the second Tuesday in November, one thousand eight hundred and seventy; 
and forever thereafter elections for members of the General Assembly shall be 
held once in two years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in Novem- 
ber. Said elections shall terminate the same day. 

Sec. 8. The first session of the General Assembly shall commence on the 
first Monday in October, 1871, at which time the term of service of the mem- 
bers shall commence, and expire on the first Tuesday of November, 1872, at 
which session the Governor elected on the second Tuesday in November, 
1870, shall be inaugurated; and forever thereafter the General Assembly shall 



APPENDIX Vii 

meet on the first Monday in January next ensuing the election, at which 

session thereof the Governor shall be inaugurated. 

Sec. 9. No person shall be a Representative unless he shall be a citizen of 
the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, and shall have been a citizen 
of this State for three years and a resident in the county he represents one 
year immediately preceding the election. 

Sec. 10. No person shall be a Senator unless he shall be a citizen of the 
United States, of the age of thirty years, and shall have resided three years 
in this State and one year in the county or district immediately preceding the 
election. No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he 
was elected, be eligible to any office or place of trust, the appointment to 
which is vested in the Executive or General Assembly, except to the office of 
trustee of a literary institution. 

Sec. I L The Senate and House of Representatives, when assembled, shall 
each choose a Speaker and its other officers; be judges of the qualifications 
and election of its members, and sit upon its own adjournments from day to 
day. Not less than two-thirds of all the members to which each House shall 
be entitled shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number 
may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized by law to compel the 
attendance of absent members. 

Sec. 12. Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish 
its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, 
expel a member, but not a second time for the same offense; and shall have 
all other powers necessary for a branch of the Legislature of a free State. 

Sec. 13. Senators and Representatives shall, in all cases except treason, 
felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during the session 
of the General Assembly, and in going to and returning from the same; and 
for any speech or debate in either House they shall not be questioned in any 
other place. 

Sec. 14. Each House may punish by imprisonment, during its session, any 
person not a member, who shall be guilty of disrespect to the House by any 
disorderly or contemptuous behavior in its presence. 

Sec. 15. When vacancies happen in either House the Governor for the 
time being shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. 

Sec. 16. Neither House shall, during its session, adjourn without the con- 
sent of the other for more than three days, nor to any other place than that 
in which the two Houses shall be sitting. 

Sec. 17. Bills may originate in either House, but may be amended, altered, 
or rejected by the other. No bill shall become a law which embraces more 
than one subject, that subject to be expressed in the title. All acts which 
repeal, revive, or amend former laws, shall recite in their caption, or other- 
wise, the title or substance of the law repealed, revived, or amended. 

Sec. 18. Every bill shall be read once on three different days, and be 
passed each time in the House where it originated before transmission to 
the other. No bill shall become a law until it shall have been read and 



viii APPENDIX 

passed, on three different days, in each House, and shall have received on its 
final passage, in each House, the assent of a majority of all the members to 
which that House shall be entitled under the Constitution; and shall have 
been signed by the respective Speakers in open session — the fact of such 
signing to be noted on the journal; and shall have received the approval of 
the Governor, or shall have been otherwise passed under the provisions of this 
Constitution. 

Sec. 19. After a bill has been rejected, no bill containing the same sub- 
stance shall be passed into a law during the same session. 

Sec. 20. The style of the laws of the State shall be : ^^Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of Tennessee.'' No law of a general nature shall 
take effect until forty days after its passage, unless the same or the caption there- 
of shall state that the public welfare requires that it should take effect sooner. 

Sec. 21. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish 
it, except such parts as the welfare of the State may require to be kept secret; 
the ayes and noes shall be taken in each House upon the final passage of 
every bill of a general character, and bills making appropriations of public 
moneys; and the ayes and noes of the members on any question shall, at the 
request of five of them, be entered on the journal. 

Sec. 22. The doors of each House and of committees of the whole shall be 
kept open, unless when the business shall be such as ought to be kept secret. 

Sec. 23. The sum of four dollars per day, and four dollars for every twenty- 
five miles traveling to and from the seat of government, shall be allowed to 
each member of the General Assembly elected after the ratification of this 
Constitution, as a compensation for their services. But no member shall be 
paid for more than seventy-five days of a regular session, or for more than 
twenty days of an extra or called session ; or for any day when absent from 
his seat in his Legislature, unless physically unable to attend. The Senators, 
when sitting as a court of impeachment, shall each receive four dollars per 
day of actual attendance. 

Sec. 24. No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence 
of appropriations made by law ; and an accurate statement of the receipts 
and expenditures of the public money shall be attached to and published with 
the laws at the rise of each stated session of the General Assembly. 

Sec. 25. No person who heretofore hath been, or may hereafter be, a col- 
lector or holder of public moneys, shall have a seat in either House of the 
General Assembly, or hold any other office under the State government, until 
such person shall have accounted for and paid into the treasury all sums for 
which he may be accountable or liable. 

Sec. 26. No Judge of any court of law or equity, Secretary of State, 
Attorney-general, Register, Clerk of any court of record, or person holding 
any office under the authority of the United States, shall have a seat in the 
General Assembly, nor shall any person in this State hold more than one 
lucrative office at the same time ; Provided, that no appointment in the 
militia, or to the office of Justice of the Peace, shall be considered a lucrative 



APPENDIX ix 

office, or operative as a disqualification to a seat in either House of the 
General Assembly. 

Sec. 27. Any member of either House of the General Assembly shall have 
liberty to dissent from and protest against any act or resolve which he may 
think injurious to the public or to any individual, and to have the reason for 
his dissent entered on the journals. 

Sec. 28. All property, real, personal, or mixed, shall be taxed, but the 
Legislature may except such as may be held by the State, by counties, cities, 
or towns, and used exclusively for public or corporation purposes, and such as 
may be held and used for purposes purely religious, charitable, scientific, 
literary, or educational, and shall except one thousand dollars' worth of per- 
sonal property in the hands of each tax-payer, and the direct product of the 
soil in the hands of the producer and his immediate vendee. All property 
shall be taxed according to its value, that value to be ascertained in such 
manner as the Legislature shall direct, so that taxes shall be equal and uni- 
form throughout the State. No one species of property from which a tax 
may be collected shall be taxed higher than any other species of property of 
the same value. But the Legislature shall have power to tax merchants, 
peddlers, and privileges in such manner as they may from time to time direct. 
The portion of a merchant's capital used in the purchase of merchandise sold 
by him to non-residents and sent beyond the State, shall not be taxed at a rate 
higher than the ad valorem tax on property. The Legislature shall have the 
power to levy a tax upon incomes derived from stocks and bonds that are not 
taxed ad valorem. All male citizens of this State over the age of twenty-one 
years, except such persons as may be exempted by law on account of age or 
other infirmity, shall be liable to a poll-tax of not less than fifty cents nor 
more than one dollar per annum. Nor shall any county or corporation levy 
a poll-tax exceeding the amount levied by the State. 

Sec. 29. The General Assembly shall have power to authorize the several 
counties and incorporated towns in this State to impose taxes for county and 
corporation purposes respectively, in such manner as shall be prescribed by 
law ; and all property shall be taxed according to its value, upon the princi- 
ples established in regard to State taxation. But the credit of no county, city, 
or town shall be given or loaned to or in aid of any person, company, asso- 
ciation, or corporation, except upon an election to be first held by the qualified 
voters of such county, city, or town, and the assent of three-fourths of the 
votes cast at said election. Nor shall any county, city, or town become a 
stockholder with others in any company, association, or corporation, except 
upon a like election, and the assent of a like majority. But the counties of 
Grainger, Hawkins, Hancock, Union, Campbell, Scott, Morgan, Grundy, 
Sumner, Smith, Fentress, Van Buren, and the new county herein authorized 
to be established out of fractions of Sumner, Macon, and Smith Counties ; 
White, Putnam, Overton, Jackson, Cumberland, Anderson, Henderson, Wayne, 
Cocke, Coffee, Macon, Marshall, and Roane shall be exempted out of the 
provisions of this section, so far that the assent of a majority of the qualified 



X APPENDIX 

voters of either of said counties voting on the question shall be sufficient, 
when the credit of such county is given or loaned to any person, association, 
or corporation ; Provided, That the exception of the counties above named 
shall not be in force beyond the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty, 
and after that period they shall be subject to the three-fourths majority appli- 
cable to the other counties of the State. 

Sec. 30. No article manufactured of the produce of this State shall be taxed 
otherwise than to pay inspection fees. 

Sec. 31. The credit of this State shall not be hereafter loaned or given to 
or in aid of any person, association, company, corporation, or municipality; 
nor shall the State become the owner, in whole or in part, of any bank, 
or a stockholder with others in any association, company, corporation, or 
municipality. 

Sec. 32. No convention or General Assembly of this State shall act upon 
any amendment of the Constitution of the United States proposed by Congress 
to the several States, unless such convention or General Assembly shall have 
been elected after such amendment is submitted. 

Sec. t^t,. No bonds of the State shall be issued to any railroad company 
which at the time of its application for the same shall be in default in paying 
the interest upon the State bonds previously loaned to it, or that shall here- 
after and before such application, sell or absolutely dispose of any State bonds 
loaned to it for less than par. 

ARTICLE III. 

Executive Department. 

Section i. The supreme executive power of this State shall be vested in 8 
Governor. 

Sec. 2. The Governor shall be chosen by the electors of the members of 
the General Assembly at the time and places where they shall respectively 
vote for the members thereof. The returns of every election for Governor 
shall be sealed up and transmitted to the seat of government by the returning 
officers, directed to the Speaker of the Senate, who shall open and publish 
them in the presence of a majority of the members of each House of the Gen- 
eral Assembly. The person having the highest number of votes shall be 
Governor; but if two or more shall be equal and highest in votes, one of theoTi 
shall be chosen Governor by joint vote of both Houses of the General Assem- 
bly. Contested elections for Governor shall be determined by both houses of 
the General Assembly, in such manner as shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 3. He shall be at least thirty years of age, shall be a citizen of the 
United States, and shall have been a citizen of this State seven years next 
before his election. 

Sec. 4. The Governor shall hold his office for two years, and until his suc- 
cessor shall be elected and qualified. He shall not be eligible more than sis 
years in any term of eight 



APPENDIX ri 

Sec. 5- He shall be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the State, 
and of the mililia, except when they shall be called into the service of the 
United States; but the militia shall not be called into service except in case 
of rebellion or invasion, and then only when the General Assembly shall 
declare by law that the public safety requires it. 

Sec. 6. He shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons, after convic- 
tion, except in cases of impeachment. 

Sec. 7. He shall, at stated times, receive a compensation for his services, 
which shall not be increased or diminished during the period for which he 
shall have been elected. 

Sec. 8. He may require information, in writing, from the officers in the 
executive department upon any subject relating to the duties of their respec- 
tive offices. 

Sec. 9. He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the General Assem- 
bly by proclamation, in which he shall state specifically the purposes for which 
they are to convene; but they shall enter on no legislative business except 
that for which they were specifically called together. 

Sec. 10. He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. 

Sec. II. He shall, from time to time, give to the General Assembly infor- 
mation of the state of the government, and recommend for their consider- 
ation such measures as he shall judge expedient. 

Sec. 12. In case of the removal of the Governor from office, or of his death 
or resignation, the powers and duties of the office shall devolve on the Speaker 
of the Senate; and in case of the death, removal from office, or resignation of 
the Speaker of the Senate, the powers and duties of the office shall devolve on 
the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Sec. 13. No member of Congress, or person holding any office under the 
United States, or this State, shall execute the office of Governor. 

Sec. 14. When any officer, the right of whose appointment is by this Con- 
stitution vested in the General Assembly, shall, during the recess, die, or the 
office, by the expiration of the term, or by other means, become vacant, the 
Governor shall have the power to fill such vacancy by granting a temporary com- 
mission, which shall expire at the end of the next session of the Legislature. 

Sec. 15. There shall be a seal of this State, which shall be kept by the Gov- 
ernor and used by him officially, and shall be called the Great Seal of the 
State of Tennessee. 

Sec. 16. All grants and commissions shall be in the name and by the 
authority of the State of Tennessee, be sealed with the State seal, and signed 
by the Governor. 

Sec. 17. A Secretary of State shall be appointed by joint vote of the Gen- 
eral Assembly, and commissioned during the term of four years. He shall 
keep a fair register of all the official acts and proceedings of the Governor, 
and shall, when required, lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers 
relative thereto, before the General Assembly; and shall perform such other 
duties as shall be enjoined by law. 



xii APPENDIX 

Sec. 1 8. Every bill which may pass both Houses of the General Assembly 

shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the Governor for his signature. 
If he approve, he shall sign it, and the same shall become a law; but if he 
refuse to sign it, he shall return it, with his objections thereto in writing, to the 
House in which it originated, and said House shall cause said objections to be 
entered at large upon its journals, and proceed to reconsider the bill. If, after 
such reconsideration, a majority of all the members elected to that House shall 
agree to pass the bill notwithstanding the objections of the Executive, it shall 
be sent, ^^^th said objections, to the other House, by which it shall be likewise 
reconsidered. If approved by a majority of the whole number elected to 
that House, it shall become a law. The votes of both Houses shall be deter- 
mined by yeas and nays, and the names of all the members voting for or 
against the bill shall be entered upon the journals of their respective Houses. 
If the Governor shall fail to return any bill with his objections, within five 
days (Sunday excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same 
shall become a law without his signature, unless the General Assembly, by its 
adjournment, prevents its return, in which case it shall not become a law. 
Every joint resolution or order, except on questions of adjournment, shall like- 
wise be presented to the Governor for his signature, and before it shall take 
effect shall receive his signature, and on being disapproved by him, shall in 
like manner be returned with his objections; and the same, before it shall take 
effect, shall be repassed by a majority of all the members elected to both 
Houses, in the manner and according to the rules prescribed in case of a bilL 



ARTICLE IV. 

Elections. 

Section i. Every male person of the age of twenty-one years, being a citizen 
of the United States, and a resident of this State for twelve months, and of the 
county wherein he may offer his vote for six months next preceding the day of 
election, shall be entitled to vote for members of the General Assembly and 
other civil officers for the county or district in which he resides; and there 
shall be no qualification attached to the right of suffrage except that each 
voter shall give the judges of election where he offers to vote satisfactory evi- 
dence that he has paid the poll-taxes assessed against him for such preceding 
period as the Legislature shall prescribe, and at such time as maybe prescribed 
by law, without which his vote cannot be received. And all male citizens of 
the State shall be subject to the payment of poll-taxes and the performance of 
military duty within such ages as may be prescribed by law. The General 
Assembly shall have power to enact laws requiring voters to vote in the election 
precincts in which they may reside, and laws to secure the freedom of elec- 
tions and the purity of the ballot-box. 

Sec. 2. Laws may be passed excluding from the right of suffrage persons 
who may be convicted of infamous crimes. 



APPENDIX xiii 

Sec. 3. Electors shall, in all cases except treason, felony, or breach of the 
peace, be privileged from arrest or summons during their attendance at elec- 
tions, and in going to and returning from them. 

Sec. 4. In all elections to be made by the General Assembly the members 
thereof shall vote viva voce, and their votes shall be entered on the journal. 
All other elections shall be by ballot. 



ARTICLE V. 
Impeachment. 

Section i. The House of Representatives shall have the sole power of 
impeachment. 

Sec. 2. All impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. When sitting for 
that purpose the Senators shall be upon oath or affirmation, and the Chief 
Justice of the Supreme Court, or, if he be on trial, the senior Associate Judge, 
shall preside over them. No person shall be convicted without the concur- 
rence of two-thirds of the Senators sworn to try the officer impeached. 

Sec. 3. The House of Representatives shall elect from their own body 
three members whose duty it shall be to prosecute impeachments. No im- 
peachment shall be tried until the Legislature shall have adjourned sine die^ 
when the Senate shall proceed to try such impeachment. 

Sec. 4. The Governor, Judges of the Supreme Court, Judges of the inferior 
courts, Chancellors, Attorneys for the State, Treasurer, Comptroller, and Sec- 
retary of State shall be liable to impeachment whenever they may, in the 
opinion of the House of Representatives, commit any crime in their official 
capacity which may require disqualification; but judgment shall only extend 
to removal from office and disqualification to fill any office thereafter. The 
party shall, nevertheless, be liable to indictment, trial, judgment, and punish- 
iiient according to law. The Legislature now has, and shall continue to have, 
power to relieve from the penalties imposed any person disqualified from 
holding office by the judgment of a court of impeachment. 

Sec. 5. Justices of the Peace, and other civil officers not hereinbefore men- 
tioned, for crimes or misdemeanors in office, shall be liable to indictment in 
such courts as the Legislature may direct; and, upon conviction, shall be 
removed from office by said court as if found guilty on impeachment, and 
shall be subject to such other punishment as may be prescribed by law. 

ARTICLE VI. 

Judicial Department. 

Section i. The judicial power of this State shall be vested in one Supreme 
Court and in such circuit, chancery, and other inferior courts as the Legisla- 
ture shall from time to time ordain and establish in the Judges thereof and in 
tenn. hist. — 20 



xiv , APPENDIX 

Justices of the Peace. The Legislature may also vest such junsdiction in cor- 
poration courts as may be deemed necessary. Courts to be holden by Justices 
of the Peace may also be established. 

Sec. 2. The Supreme Court shall consist of five Judges, of whom not more 
than two shall reside in any one of the grand divisions of the State. The 
Judges shall designate one of their own number who shall preside as Chief 
Justice. The concurrence of three of the Judges shall, in every case, be 
necessary to a decision. The jurisdiction of this court shall be appellate only, 
under such restrictions and regulations as may from time to time be prescribed 
by law; but it may possess such other jurisdiction as is now conferred by law 
on the present Supreme Court. Said court shall be held at Knoxville, Nash- 
ville, and Jackson. 

Sec. 3. The Judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified 
voters of the State. The Legislature shall have power to prescribe such rules 
as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of Section 2 of this Article, 
Every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be thirty-five years of age, and shall, 
before the election, have been a resident of the State for five years. His term 
of service shall be eight years. 

Sec. 4. The Judges of the Circuit and Chancery Courts, and of other infe- 
rior courts, shall be elected by the qualified voters of the district or circuit to 
which they are to be assigned. Every Judge of such courts shall be thirty 
years of age, and shall, before his election, have been a resident of the State 
five years, and of the circuit or district one year. His term of service shall be 
eight years. 

Sec. 5. An Attorney-general and Reporter for the State shall be appointed 
by the Judges of the Supreme Court, and shall hold his office for a term of 
eight years. An Attorney for the State for any circuit or district for which a 
Judge having criminal jurisdiction shall be provided by law shall be elected 
by the qualified voters of such circuit or district, and shall hold his office for a 
term of eight years, and shall have been a resident of the State five years, and 
of the circuit or district one year. In all cases where the ..\ttorney for any 
district fails or refuses to attend and prosecute according to law, the court shall, 
have power to appoint an Attorney p7'o tempore. 

Sec. 6. Judges and Attorneys for the State may be removed from office by 
a concurrent vote of both Houses of the General Assembly, each House vot- 
ing separately; but two-thirds of the members to which each House may be 
entitled must concur in such vote. The vote shall be determined by ayes and 
noes, and the names of the members voting for or against the Judge or Attor- 
ney for the State, together with the cause or causes of removal, shall be entered 
on the journal of each House respectively. The Judge or Attorney for the 
State against whom the Legislature may be about to proceed, shall receive 
notice thereof, accompanied with a copy of the causes alleged for his removal, 
at least ten days before the day on wh^'ch either House of the General Assem- 
bly shall act thereupon. 

Sec. 7, The Judges of the supreme or inferior courts shall, at stated times, 



APPENDIX XV 

receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, which 
shall not be increased or diminished during the time for which they are 
elected. They shall not be allowed any fees or perquisites of office, nor hold 
any office of trust or profit under this State or the United States. 

Sec. 8. The jurisdiction of the circuit, chancery, and other inferior courts 
shall be as now established by law until changed by the Legislature. 

Sec. 9. Judges shall not charge juries with respect to matters of fact, but 
may state the testimony and declare the law. 

Sec. 10. Judges or justices of the inferior courts of law and equity shall 
have power in all civil cases to issue writs of certiorari to remove any cause, 
or the transcript of the record thereof, from any inferior jurisdiction into such 
court of law, on sufficient cause, supported by oath or affirmation. 

Sec. II. No Judge of the supreme or inferior courts shall preside on the 
trial of any cause in the event of which he may be interested, or where either 
of the parties shall be connected with him by affinity or consanguinity, within 
such degrees as may be prescribed by law, or in which he may have been of 
counsel, or in which he may have presided in any inferior court, except by 
consent of all the parties. In case all or any of the Judges of the Supreme 
Court shall thus be disqualified from presiding on the trial of any cause or 
causes, the court, or the Judges thereof, shall certify the same to the Governor 
of the State, and he shall forthwith specially commission the requisite number 
of men of law knowledge for the trial and determination thereof. The Legis- 
lature may, by general laws, make provision that special Judges may be 
appointed to hold any court the Judge of which shall be unable or fail to 
attenci or sit, or to hear any cause in which the Judge may be incompetent. 

Sec. 12. All writs and other process shall run in the name of the State of 
Tennessee, and bear test and be signed by the respective Clerks. Indict- 
ments shall conclude : " Against the peace and dignity of the State." 

Sec. 13. Judges of the Supreme Court shall appoint their Clerks, who shall 
hold their offices for six years. Chancellors shall appoint their Clerks and 
Masters, who shall hold their offices for six years. Clerks of the inferior 
courts, holden in the respective counties or districts, shall be elected by the 
qualified voters thereof, for the term of four years. Any Clerk may be 
removed from office for malfeasance, incompetency, or neglect of duty, in 
such manner as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 14. No fine shall be laid on any citizen of this State that shall exceed 
fifty dollars, unless it shall be assessed by a jury of his peers, who shall assess 
the fine at the time they find the fact, if they think the fine should be more 
than fifty dollars. 

Sec. 15. The different counties of this State shall be laid off, as the General 
Assembly may direct, into districts of convenient size, so that the whole 
number in each county shall not be more than twenty-five, or four for every 
one hundred square miles. There shall be two Justices of the Peace and one 
Constable elected in each district by the qualified voters therein, except dis- 
tricts including county towns, which shall elect three Justices and two Con- 



xvi APPENDIX 

stables. The jurisdiction of said officers shall be co-extensive with the 
county. Justices of the Peace shall be elected for the term of six and Con 
stables for the term of two years. Upon the removal of either of said officers 
from the district in which he was elected his office shall become vacant from 
the time of such removal. Justices of the Peace shall be commissioned by 
the Governor. The Legislature shall have power to provide for the appoint- 
ment of an additional number of Justices of the Peace in incorporated towns, 

ARTICLE VII. 

State and County Officers. 

Section i. There shall be elected in each county, by the qualified voters 
therein, one Sheriff, one Trustee, one Register — the Sheriff and Trustee for 
two years and the Register for four years; but no person shall be eligible to 
the office of Sheriff more than six years in any term of eight years. There 
shall be elected for each county, by the Justices of the Peace, one Coroner, 
and one Ranger, who shall hold their offices for two years. Said officers 
shall be removed for malfeasance or neglect of duty, in such manner as may 
be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 2. Should a vacancy occur subsequent to an election in the office of 
Sheriff, Trustee, or Register, it shall be tilled by the Justices; if in that of 
the Clerk to be elected by the people, it shall be filled by the courts; and 
the person so appointed shall continue in office until his successor shall be 
elected and qualified ; and such office shall be filled by the qualified voters 
at the first election for any of the county officers. 

Sec. 3. There shall be a Treasurer or Treasurers and a Comptroller of the 
Treasury, appointed for the State by the joint vote of both Houses of the 
General Assembly, who shall hold their offices for two years. 

Sec. 4. The election of all officers and the filling of all vacancies not other- 
wise directed or provided by this Constitution shall be made in such manner 
as the Legislature shall direct. 

Sec. 5. Elections for judicial and other civil officers shall be held on the 
first Thursday in August, one thousand eight hundred and seventy, and for- 
ever thereafter on the first Thursday in August next preceding the expiration 
of their respective terms of service. The term of each officer so elected shall 
be computed from the first day of September next succeeding his election. 
The term of office of the Governor and other executive officers shall be com- 
puted from the fifteenth of January next after the election of the Governor. 
No appointment or election to fill a vacancy shall be made for a period 
extending beyond the unexpired term. Every officer shall hold his office 
until his successor is elected or appointed and qualified. No special election 
shall be held to fill a vacancy in the office of Judge or District Attorney but 
at the time herein fixed for the biennial term of civil officers; and such vacancy 
shall be filled at the next biennial election recurring more than thirty days 
after the vacancy occurs. 



APPENDIX XVii 

ARTICLE VIII. 

Militia. 

Section i. All militia officers shall be elected by persons subject to military 
duty within the bounds of their several companies, battalions, regiments, 
brigades, and divisions, under such rules and regulations as the Legislature 
may, from time to time, direct and establish. 

Sec. 2. The Governor shall appoint the Adjutant-general and his other 
staff officers; the Majors-general, Brigadiers-general, and commanding officers 
of regiments, shall respectively appoint their staff officers. 

Sec. 3. The Legislature shall pass laws exempting citizens belonging to 
any sect or denomination of religion, the tenets of which are known to be 
opposed to the bearing of arms, from attending private and general musters. 

ARTICLE IX. 

Disqualifications. 

Section i. Whereas, ministers of the gospel are, by their profession, 
dedicated to God and the care of souls, and ought not to be diverted from 
the great duties of their functions ; therefore, no minister of the gospel, or 
priest of any denomination whatever, shall be eligible to a seat in 'either 
House of the Legislature. 

Sec. 2. No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of 
rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this 
State. 

Sec. 3. Any person who shall, after the adoption of this Constitution, fight 
a duel, or knowingly be the bearer of a challenge to fight a duel, or send or 
accept a challenge for that purpose, or be an aider or abettor in fighting a 
duel, shall be deprived of the right to hold any office of honor or profit in this 
State, and shall be punished otherwise, in such manner as the Legislature 
may prescribe. 

ARTICLE X. 

Oaths — Bribery of Electors — New Counties. 

Section i. Every person who shall be chosen or appointed to any office 
of trust or profit under this Constitution, or any law made in pursuance 
thereof, shall, before entering upon the duties thereof, take an oath to sup- 
port the Constitution of this State and of the United States, and an oath of 
office. 

Sec. 2. Each member of the Senate and House of Representatives shall, 
before they proceed to business, take an oath or affirmation to support the 
Constitution of this State and of the United States, and also the following 



xviii APPENDIX 

oath : " I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm) that, as a member of this Gen- 
eral Assembly, I will, in all appointments, vote without favor, affection, 
partiality, or prejudice ; and that I will not propose or assent to any bill, 
vote, or resolution which shall appear to me injurious to the people, or con- 
sent to any act or thing whatever that shall have a tendency to lessen or 
abridge their rights and privileges as declared by the Constitution of this 
State." 

Sec, 3. Any elector who shall receive any gift or reward for his vote, in 
meat, drink, money, or otherwise, shall suffer such punishment as the laws 
shall direct; and any person who shall, directly or indirectly, give, promise, 
or bestow any such reward to be elected, shall thereby be rendered incapable 
for six years to serve in the office for which he was elected, and be subject to 
such further punishment as the Legislature shall direct. 

Sec. 4. New counties may be established by the Legislature, to consist of 
not less than two hundred and seventy-five square miles, and which shall con- 
tain a population of seven hundred qualified voters. No line of such county 
shall approach the court-house of any old county from which it may be taken 
nearer than eleven miles, nor shall such old county be reduced to less than 
five hundred square miles ; but the following exceptions are made to the 
foregoing provisions, viz. : New counties may be established by the present 
or any succeeding Legislature out of the following territory, to wit : Out of 
that portion of Obion County which lies west of the low-water mark of Reel- 
foot Lake ; out of fractions of Sumner, Macon, and Smith Counties, but no 
line of such new county shall approach the court-house of Sumner and Smith 
Counties nearer than ten miles, nor include any part of Macon County lying 
within nine and a half miles of the court-house of said county, nor shall more 
than twenty square miles of Macon County, nor any part of Sumner County 
lying due west of the western boundary of Macon County, be taken in the 
formation of said new county ; out of fractions of Grainger and Jefferson 
Counties, but no line of such new county shall include any part of Grainger 
County north of the Holston River, nor shall any line thereof approach the 
court-house of Jefferson County nearer than eleven miles (such new county 
may include any other territory which is not excluded by any general provi- 
sion of this Constitution) ; out of fractions of Jackson and Overton Counties, 
but no line of such new county shall approach the court-house of Jackson or 
Overton Counties nearer than ten miles, nor shall such county contain less 
than four hundred qualified voters, nor shall the area of either of the old 
counties be reduced below four hundred and fifty square miles ; out of frac- 
tions of Roane, Monroe, and Blount Counties, around the town of Loudon, 
but no line of such new county shall ever approach the towns of Maryvilie, 
Kingston, or Madisonville nearer than eleven miles, except that on the south 
side of the Tennessee River said lines may approach as near as ten miles to 
the court-house of Roane County. The counties of Lewis, Cheatham, and 
Sequatchie, as now established by legislative enactments, are hereby declared 
to be constitutional counties. No part of Bledsoe County shall be taken to 



APPENDIX xix 

form a new county, or a part thereof, or be attached to any adjoining county. 
That portion of Marion County included within the following boundaries: 
Beginning on the Grundy and Marion County line at the Nick-a-jack Trace, and 
running about six hundred yards west of Ben, Posey's to where the Tennessee 
Coal Railroad crosses the line ; running thence southeast through the Pocket, 
near William Summers', crossing the Battle Creek Gulf at the corner of 
Thomas Wooten's field ; thence running across the Little Gizzard Gulf to 
Raven Point ; thence in a direct line to the bridge crossing the Big Fiery 
Gizzard ; thence in a direct line to the mouth of Holy Water Creek ; thence 
up said creek to the Grundy County line, and thence with said line to the 
beginning, is hereby detached from Marion County and attached to the 
County of Grundy. No part of a county shall be taken off to form a new 
county, or a part thereof, without the consent of two-thirds of the qualified 
voters in such part taken off ; and where an old county is reduced for the 
purpose of forming a new one, the seat of justice in said old county shall not 
be removed without the concurrence of two-thirds of both branches of the 
Legislature ; nor shall the seat of justice of any county be removed without 
the concurrence of two-thirds of the quaUfied voters of the county. But the 
foregoing provision requiring a two-thirds majority of the voters of a county 
to remove its county seat, shall not apply to the counties of Obion and Cocke. 
The fractions taken from old counties to form new counties, or taken from 
one county and added to another, shall continue liable for their pro rata of 
all debts contracted by their respective counties prior to the separation, and 
be entitled to their proportion of any stocks or credits belonging to such old 
counties. 

Sec. 5. The citizens who may be included in any new county shall vote 
with the county or counties from which they may have been stricken off for 
members of Congress, for Governor, and for members of the General Assem- 
bly, until the next apportionment of members of the General Assembly after 
the establishment of such new county. 



ARTICLE XI. 

Miscellaneous Provisions. 

Section i. All laws and ordinances now in force and use in this State, not 
inconsistent with this Constitution, shall continue in force and use until they 
shall expire, or be altered or repealed by the Legislature. But ordinances 
contained in any former Constitution or schedule thereto are hereby abrogated. 

Sec. 2. Nothing contained in this Constitution shall impair the validity of 
any debts or contracts, or affect any rights of property, or any suits, actions, 
rights of action, or other proceedings in courts of justice. 

Sec. 3. Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be 
proposed in the Senate or House of Representatives; and if the same shall 
be agreed to by a majority of all the members elected to each of the two 



XX APPENDIX 

Houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on then 

journals, with the yeas and nays thereon, and referred to the General Assem- 
bly then next to be choseM, and shall be published six months previous to the 
time of making such choice; and if, in the General Assembly then next chosen 
as aforesaid, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed to by 
two-thirds of all the members elected to each House, then it shall be the duty 
of the General Assembly to submit such proposed amendment or amendments 
to the people in such manner and at such times as the General Assembly shall 
prescribe. And if the people shall approve and ratify such amendment or 
amendments by a majority of all the citizens of the State voting for Repre- 
sentatives voting in their favor, such amendment or amendments shall become 
a part of this Constitution. When any amendment or amendments to the 
Constituti(m shall be proposed in pursuance of the foregoing provisions, the 
same shall, at each of the said sessions, be read three tunes on three several 
days in each House. The Legislature shall not propose amendments to the 
Constitution oftener than once in six years. The Legislature shall have the 
right, at any time, by law, to submit to the people the question of calling 
a convention to alter, reform, or abolish this Constitution; and when, upon 
such submission, a majority of all the votes cast shall be in favor of said propo- 
sition, then delegates shall be chosen, and the convention shall assemble in 
such mode and manner as shall be prescribed. 

Sec. 4. The Legislature shall have no power to grant divorces, but may 
authorize the courts of justice to grant them for such causes as may be speci- 
fied by law; but such laws shall be general and uniform in their operation 
throughout the State. 

Sec. 5. The Legislature shall have no power to authorize lotteries for any 
purpose, and shall pass laws to prohibit the sale of lottery tickets in this State. 

Sec. 6. The Legislature shall have no power to change the names of per- 
sons, or to pass acts adopting or legitimatizing persons, but shall, by general 
laws, confer this power on the courts. 

Sec. 7. The Legislature shall fix the rate of interest, and the rate so 
established shall be equal and uniform throughout the State ; but the Legisla- 
ture may provide for a conventional rate of interest, not to exceed ten per 
cent, per annum. 

Sec. 8. The Legislature shall have no power to suspend any general law 
for the benefit of any particular individuals, nor to pass any law for the benefit 
of individuals inconsistent with the general laws of the land; nor to pass any 
law granting to any individual or individuals rights, privileges, immunities, or 
exemptions other than such as may be by the same law extended to any mem- 
ber of the community who may be able to bring himself vi^ithin the provisions 
of such law. No corporation shall be created, or its powers increased or di- 
minished by special laws, but the General Assembly shall provide by general 
laws for the organization of all corporations hereafter created, which laws may 
at any time be altered or repealed; and no such alteration or icpeal shall 
interfere with or divest rights which have become vested. 






APPENDIX XXI 

Sec. 9. The Legislature shall have the right to vest such powers in the 
courts of justice, with regard to private and local affairs, as may be expedient. 

Sec. 10. A well-regulated system of internal improvement is calculated 
to develop the resources of the State and promote the happiness and pros- 
perity of her citizens; therefore it ought to be encouraged by the General 
Assembly. 

Sec. II. a homestead in the possession of each head of a family, and the 
improvements thereon to the value, in all, of one thousand dollars shall be 
exempt from sale under legal process during the life of such head of a family, 
to inure to the benefit of the widow, and shall be exempt during the minority 
of their children occupying the same. Nor shall said property be alienated 
without the joint consent of the husband and wife when that relation exists. 
This exemption shall not operate against public taxes, nor debts contracted 
for the purchase-money of such homestead or improvements thereon. 

Sec. 12. Knowledge, learning, and vii'tue being essential to the preservation 
of republican institutions, and the diffusion of the opportunities and advantages 
of education throughout the different portions of the State being highly con- 
ducive to the promotion of this end, it shall be the duty of the General Assem- 
bly in all future periods of this Government, to cherish literature and science. 
And the fund called the common school fund, and all the lands and proceeds 
thereof, dividends, stocks, and other property of every description whatever, 
heretofore by law appropriated by the General Assembly of this State for the 
use of common schools, and all such as shall hereafter be appropriated, shall 
remain a perpetual fund, the principal of which shall never be diminished by 
legislative appropriation; and the interest thereof shall be inviolably appro- 
priated to the support and encouragement of common schools throughout the 
State, and for the equal benefit of all the people thereof; and no law shall be 
made authorizing said fund, or any part thereof, to be diverted to any other 
use than the support and encouragement of common schools. The State 
taxes derived hereafter from polls shall be appropriated to educational pur- 
poses, in such manner as the General Assembly shall, from time to time, direct 
by law. No school established or aided under this section shall allow white 
and negro children to be received as scholars together in the same school. 
The above provisions shall not prevent the Legislature from carrying into effect 
any laws that have been passed in favor of the colleges, universities, or acade- 
mies, or from authorizing heirs or distributees to receive and enjoy escheated 
property under such laws as may be passed from time to time. 

Sec. 13. The General Assembly shall have power to enact laws for the 
protection and preservation of game and fish within the State, and such laws 
may be enacted for and applied and enforced in particular counties or geo- 
graphical districts designated by the General Assembly. 

Sec. 14. The intermarriage of white persons with negroes, mulattoes, 01 
persons of mixed blood, descended from a negro to the third generation, 
mclusive, or their living together as man and wife, in this State, is prohibited. 
The Legislature sb^U enforce this section by appropriate legislation. 



xxii APPENDIX 

Sec. 15. No person shall, in time of peace, be required to perform any 

service to the public on any day set apart by his religion as a day of rest. 

Sec. 16. The declaration of rights, hereto prefixed, is declared to be a part 
of the Constitution of this State, and shall never be violated on any pretense 
whatever. And to guard against transgression of the high powers we have 
delegated, we declare that everything in the bill of rights contained is excepted 
out of the general powers of the Government, and shall forever remain 
inviolate. 

Sec. 17. No county office created by the Legislature shall be filled other- 
wise than by the people or the County Court. 

Schedule. 

Section i . That no inconvenience may arise from a change of the Consti- 
tution, it is declared that the Governor of the State, the members of the Gen- 
eral Assembly, and all officers elected at or after the general election of March, 
1870, shall hold their offices for the terms prescribed in this Constitution. 

Officers appointed by the courts shall be filled by appointment, to be made 
and to take effect during the first term of the court held by Judges elected 
under this Constitution. 

All other officers shall vacate their places thirty days after the day fixed for 
the election of their successors under this Constitution. 

The Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer shall hold their offices 
until the first session of the present General Assembly occurring after the 
ratincation of this Constitution, and until their successors are elected and 
qualified. 

The officers then elected shall hold their offices until the fifteenth day of 
January, 1873. 

Sec. 2. At the first election of Judges under this Constitution there shall be 
elected six Judges of the Supreme Court, two from each grand division of the 
State, who shall hold their offices for the term herein prescribed. 

In the event any vacancy shall occur in the office of either of said Judges at 
any time after the first day of January, 1873, it shall remain unfilled, and the 
court shall from that time be constituted of five Judges. 

While the court shall consist of six Judges they may sit in two sections, and 
may hear and determine causes in each at the same time, but not in different 
grand divisions at the same time. \Vhen so sitting the concurrence of two 
Judges shall be necessary to a decision. 

The Attorney-general and Reporter for the State shall be appointed after 
the election and qualification of the Judges of the Supreme Court herein pro- 
vided for. 

Sec. 3. Every Judge and every officer of the executive department of this 
State, and every Sheriff holding over under this Constitution, shall, within 
twenty days after the ratification of this Constitution is proclaimed, take an 
oath to support the same; and the failure of any officer to take sueh oath shall 
vacate bis office. 



APPENDIX 



xxm 



Sec 4. The time which has elapsed since the sixth day of May, 1861, until 

the first day of January, 1867, shrAl not be computed in any cases affected by 
the statutes of limitation, nor shall any writ of error be affected by such lapse 
of time. 

Done in convention at Nashville, the tweniy-third day of February, in the 
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy, and of the inde- 
pendence of the United States the ninety-fourth. In testimony whereof we 



Lve iicreuuLO set our uamcb. 


John C. Brown, President, 


John Allen, 


R. Henderson, 


Jesse Arledge, 


H. L. W. Hill, 


Humphrey Bate, 


Sp'l Hill, 


J no. Baxter, 


Sam S. Hoiise, 


A. Blizzard, 


Jno. F. House, 


Nathan Brandon, 


T. B. Ivie, 


James Britton, 


Thomas M. Jones, 


R. P. Brooks, 


David N. Kennedy, 


Neil S. Brown, 


D. M. Key, 


James S. Brown, 


Sam J. Kirkpatrick, 


T. M. Burkett, 


A. A. Kyle, 


John W. Burton, 


Jos, A. Mabry, 


Wm. Byrne, 


A. G. McDougal, 


Alex. W. Campbell, 


Malcom McNabb, 


Wm. Blount Carter, 


Matt. Martin, 


Z. R. Chowning, 


John H. Meeks, 


James A. Coffin, 


Thos. C. Morris, 


Warren Cummings, 


J. Netheriand, 


Robert P. Cypert, 


A. 0. P. Nicholson, 


T. D. Davenport, 


Geo. C. Porter, 


N. V. Deaderick, 


Jas. D. Porter, Jr., 


G. G. Dibrell, 


Geo. E. Seay, 


N. F. Doherty, 


Samuel G. Shepard, 


J. E. Dromgoole, 


E. H. Shelton, 


James Fentress, 


Wm. H. Stephens, 


A. T. Fielder, 


John M. Taylor, 


P. G. Fulkerson, 


J. C. Thompson, 


John A. Gardner, 


N. Vance Thompson, 


John E. Garner, 


James J. Turner, 


S. P. Gaut, 


Geo. W. Walker, 


Charles A. Gibbs, 


Richard Warner, Jr., 


B. Gordon, 


N. H. Williamson, 


T. B. Heiskell, 


W. M. Wright. 


^/fesf: 


T. E. S. RUSSWURM, Secretary. 


Th-^S W. Jones, Assistant Secretary. 




W. S. ^YLE, Second Assistant Secretary, 





XXiV APPENDIX 

Ordinance. 

Section i . Be it ordained by the Conventioji, That it shall be the duty of 

the several officers of the State authorized by law to hold elections for mem- 
bers of the General Assembly and other officers, to open and hold an election 
at the place of holding said elections in their respective counties, on the fourth 
Saturday m March, 1870, for the purpose of receiving the votes of such quali- 
fied voters as may desire to vote for the ratification or rejection of the Consti- 
tution recommended by the Convention, and the qualifications of voters in said 
election be the same as that required in the election of delegates to this 
Convention. 

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of said returning officers in each county in this 
State to enroll the name of each voter on the poll-books prepared for said 
election, and shall deposit each ballot in the ballot-boxes respectively. Each 
voter who wishes to ratify the new Constitution shall have written or printed 
on his ticket the words " New Constitution," or words of like import; and 
each voter who wishes to vote against the ratification of the new Constitution 
shall have written or printed on his ticket the words " Old Constitution," or 
words of like import. 

Sec. 3. The election shall be held and the judges and clerks shall be 
appointed as in the case of the election of the members of the General 
Assembly; and the returning officers, in the presence of the judges or in- 
spectors, shall count the votes given for the "New Constitution," and of 
those given for the " Old Constitution," of which they shall keep a correct 
estimate in said poll-books. They shall deposit the original poll-books of 
said election with the Clerks of the County Courts in the respective counties; 
and shall, within five days after the election, make out accurate statements of 
the number of votes in their respective counties for or against the " New 
Constitution," and immediately forward by mail one copy of said certificates 
to the Governor and one to the Speaker of the Senate. So soon as the poll- 
books are deposited with the County Court Clerks, they shall certify to the 
President of the Convention an accurate statement of the number of votes 
cast for or against the " New Constitution," as appears on said poll-books; and 
if any of said returning officers shall fail to make the returns herein provided 
■ for within the time required, the Governor shall be authorized to send special 
messengers lor the result of the vote in those counties whose officers have so 
failed to make returns. 

Sec. 4. Upon the receipt of said returns it shall be the duty of the Gov- 
ernor, Speaker of the Senate, and the President of this Convention, or any 
two of them, to compare the votes cast in said election ; and if it shall appear 
that a majority of all the votes cast for and against the new Constitution were 
for " New Constitution," it shall be the duty of the Governor, Speaker of the 
Senate, and President of this Convention, or any two of them, to append to 
this Constitution a certificate of the result of the votes, from which time the 
Constitution shall be established as the Constitution of Tennessee, and the 
Cicvernor shall make proclamation of the result. 



APPENDIX 



XXV 



Sec. 5. The Governor of the State is required to issue his proclamation as 
to the election on the fourth Saturday in March, 1870, hereto provided for. 

John C. Brown, President. 
Attest: T. E. S. Russwurm, Secretary. 



GOVERNORS OF TENNESSEE FROM 1790. 



William Blount, Territorial Gov- 
ernor, 1790-96. 

John Sevier, 1 796-1801. 

Archibald Roane, 1801-03. 

Jolin Sevier, 1803-09. 

Willie Blount, 1809-15, 

Joseph McMinn, 1815-21. 

Wilham Carroll, 1821-27. 

Samuel Houston, 1827 to April, 
1829, when he resigned, and 
William Hall, Speaker of the 
Senate, became Governor, serv- 
ing to October, 1829. 

William Carroll, 1829-35. 

Newton Cannon, 1835-39. 

James K. Polk, 1839-41. 

James C. Jones, 1841-45. 

Aaron V. Brown, 1845-47. 

Neill S. Brown, 1847-49. 

William Trousdale, 1849-51. 

William B. Campbell, 1851-53. 

Andrew Johnson, 1853-57. 

Isham G. Harris, 1857-63. 

34 



Robert L. Caruthers was elect- 
ed Governor in 1863, but on ac- 
count of Tennessee being in 
possession of Federal troops, 
was unable to qualify. Presi- 
dent Lincoln appointed An- 
drew Johnson Military Gov- 
ernor of Tennessee, w^ho 
served from 1862 ^o 1865. 

19. William C. Brownlow, 1865-69. 

20. D. W. C. Senter, 1869-71. 

21. John C. Brown, 1^71-75. 

22. James D. Porter, 1875-79. 

23. Albert S. Marks, 1879-81. 

24. Alvin Hawkins, 1881-83. 

25. William B. Bate, 1883-87. 

26. Robert L.Taylor, 1887-91 

27. John P. Buchanan, 1891-93. 

28. Peter Turney, 1893-97. 

29. Robert L. Taylor, 1897-99. 

30. Benton McMillin, 1899- 1903. 

31. James B. Frazier, 1903-05. 

32. John L Cox, 1905-07. 



Malcolm R. Patterson, 1907-1: 
Benjamin W. Hooper, 191 1-. 



SECRETARIES OF STATE FROM 1792 
Territorial Secretary, 



Daniel Smith 

1792-96. 
William Maclin, 1 796-1807. 
Robert Houston, 1807-II. 
W. G. Blount, 1811-15. 
William Alexander, 1815-18 (died) 

TENN. HIST. — 21 



Daniel Graham, appointed August, 
1 818, served till 1830 (resigned). 

T. H. Fletcher, appointed September, 
1830, served till 1832. 

Samuel G. Smith, 1832-35. 
1 Luke Lea, 1835-39. 



XXVI 



APPENDIX 



John S. Young, 1839-47. 

W. B. A. Ramsey, 1847-55. 

F. N. W. Burton, 1855-59. 

J. E. R. Ray, 1859-65. 

E. H. East, appointed in 1862 by An- 
drew Johnson, Military Governor, 
served to 1865. 

A. J. Fletcher, 1865-70. 



T. H. Butler, 1870-73. 
Charles N. Gibbs, 1873-81. 
David A. Nunn, 1881-85. 
John Allison, Jr., 1885-89. 
Charles A. Miller, 1889-93. 
W. S. Morgan, 1893-1901. 
John W. Morton, 1901-09. 
Hallam \V. Goodloe, 1909-. 



COMPTROLLERS — OFFICE CREATED IN 1835. 



Daniel Graham, 1836-43. 

Fehx K. Zollicoffer, 1843-49. 

B. N. Sheppard, 1849-51. 

Arthur R. Crozier, 1851-55. 

James C. Luttrell, 1855-57. 

James T. Dunlap, 1857-62. 

Joseph S. Foster, appointed by Andrew 

Johnson, Military Governor, 1862- 

65. 
J. R. Dillin, elected 1865, failed to 

qualify, being a member of the 

Legislature that elected him, and 

ineligible. 



S. W. Hatchett, 1865-66. 

G. W. Blackburn, 1866-70. 

E. R. Pennebaker, 1870-73. 

W. W. Hobb, January, 1873, to Mav, 

1873. 
John C. Burch, May, 1873-75. 
James L. Gaines, 1875-81. 
James N. Nolen, 1881-83. 
P. P. Pickard, 1883-89. 
J. W. AHen, 1889-93. 
James A. Harris, 1893-99. 
Theodore King, 1899-1904. 
Frank Dibbrell, 1904-. 



TREASURERS FROM 1796. 

The act of April 13, 1796, and territorial act of September, 1794, Chapter 9, 
provided for two District Treasurers, viz. : District of Miro, and District of 
Washington and Hamilton. Act of November i, 1827, created the offices 
of Treasurer of Western District, at Jackson, Tennessee ; Treasurer of Wash- 
ington and Hamilton, or East Tennessee, at Knoxville ; and Treasurer of 
Miro, at Nashville. The constitution of 1834 provided for one Treasurer for 
the state, to be elected by the legislature for two years. 



Daniel Smith, Territorial Secretary, 

acted as Treasurer from 1792 to 

1794. 
Landon Carter, Territorial Treasurer 

of Washington and Hamilton, 1794- 

1800. 



Howell Tatum, Territorial Treasurer 
of Miro, 1794-96, 

William Black, Miro, 1796-97. 

Robert Searcy, Miro, 1 797-1803. 

John Maclin, Washington and Hamil- 
ton, 1800-03. 



APPENDIX 



XXVll 



Thomas McCorry, Washington and 

Hamilton, 1803-13, 
Thomas Crutcher, Miro, 1803-13. 
Thomas McCorry, East Tennessee 

(Washington and Hamilton), 1813- 

15- 

Thomas Crutcher, Miro, 1813-36. 
Matthew Nelson, East Tennessee, 

1815-27. 
Miller Francis, East Tennessee, 1827- 

36. 
James Caruthers, Western District, 

1827-36. 
Miller Francis, State, 1836-43. 
Matthew Nelson, State, 1843-45. 
Robert B. Turner, 1845-47. 



Anthony Dibbrell, 1847-55. 
G. C. Torbett, 1855-57. 
W. Z. McGregor, 1857-65. 
R. L. Stanford, 1865-66. 
John R. Henry, 1866-68. 
W. H. Stillwell, 1868-69. 
J. E. Rust, 1869-71. 
William Morrow, 1 871-77. 
M. T. Polk, 1877-83. 
Atha Thomas, 1883-85. 
J. W. Thomas, 1885-86 (died). 
Atha Thomas, 1886-89. 
M. F. House, 1889-93. 
E. B. Craig, 1 893-1 901. 
R. E. Folk, 1901-11. 
G. T. Taylor, 191 1-. 



SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 

This office was created in 1835, abolished in 1843, re-created in 1865, pro- 
vided for in the constitution of 1870, and again created in 1873. 



Robert H. McEwen, 1836-40. 
Robert P. Currin, 1840-41. 
Scott Terry, 1841-43. 
L. R. Stanford, 1865-67. 
John Eaton, Jr., 1867-69. 
A. J. Tipton, 1869-71. 
John M. Fleming, 1873-75. 
Leon Trousdale, 1875-81. 
W. S. Doak, 1881-82. 

R. L. 

J. W. 



G. S. W. Crawford, 1882-83. 

Thomas H. Paine, 1883-87. 

Frank M. Smith, 1887-91. 

W. R. Garrett, 1891-93. 

Frank M. Smith, 1893-95. 

S. G. Gilbreath, 1895-97. 

Price Thomas, 1897-99. 

Morgan C. Fitzpatrick, 1 899- 1 901. 

Seymore A. Mynders, 1903-07. 
Jones, 1907-11. 
Brister, 1911-. 



STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. 

The State Board of Education was organized by Governor Porter under 
authority of an act of the General Assembly, passed March 23, 1875. The 
Governor and the State Superintendent are ex officio members, the Governor 
being President and the Superintendent Secretary of the Board. There are six 
other members appointed by the Governor, each to serve for a period of six years. 
1876. James D. Porter, President; Leon Trousdale, State Superintendent ; 

E. H. Ewing; J. J. Reese; J. W. Hoyte; R. W. Mitchel; J. B. Lindsley, 

Secretary. 
1877 and 1878. James D. Porter, President; Leon Trousdale, State Superin- 



xxviii APPENDIX 

tendent; E. H. Ewing; H. Presnell; J. W. Ho\te; R. W. Mitchel; J. B. 
Lindsley, Secretary. 
1879 and 1880. Albert S. Marks, President; other members as above. 

1 88 1. Alvin Hawkins, President; W. S. Doak, State Superintendent; E. H. 
Ewing ; Leon Trousdale ; J. W. Hoyte ; W. P. Jones ; J. B. l.indsley, Sec'y. 

1882. Alvin Hawkins, President; G. S. W. Crawford, State Superintendent ; 
E. S. Joynes; Leon Trousdale; J. W. Hoyte; W. P. Jones; J. B. Lindsley, 
Secretary. 

1883 and 1884. W. B. Bate, President ; Thomas H. Paine, State Superin- 
tendent; Frank Goodman; Leon Trousdale; J. W. Hoyte; W.P.Jones; 
J. B. Lindsley, Secretary. 

1885 and 1886. W. B. Bate, President; Thomas H. Paine, State Superin- 
tendent ; Frank Goodman ; Leon Trousdale ; P^ank M. Smith ; W. P. 
Jones; J. B. Lindsley, Secretary. 

1887 to 1890. Robert L. Taylor, President ; Frank M. Smith, State Super- 
intendent; Thomas H. Paine; C.S.Douglass; John W. Bachman; W. P. 
Jones; Frank Goodman, Secretary. 

1891 and 1892. John P. Buchanan, President ; W. R. Garrett, State Super- 
intendent ; Thomas H. Paine ; C. S. Douglass ; Frank M. Smith ; W. P. 
Jones; Frank Goodman, Secretary. 

1893 and 1894. Peter Turney, President ; Frank M. Smith, State Superin- 
tendent; Thomas H. Paine; C. S. Douglass; H. D. Huffaker; W. P. Jones; 
Frank Goodman, Secretary, 

1895 and 1896. Peter Turney, President ; S. G. Gilbreath, State Superin- 
tendent ; Thomas H. Paine; C. S. Douglass; H. D. Huffaker; A. D, 
Wharton; Frank Goodman, Secretary. 

1897 and 1898. Robert L. Taylor, President; Price Thomas, State Superin- 
tendent ; Thomas H. Paine; C. S. Douglass; H. D. Huffaker; A. D. 
Wharton ; Frank Goodman, Secretary. 

1 899-1903. Benton McMillin, President ; Morgan C. Fitzpatrick, State 
Superintendent and Secretary; Thomas H. Paine; C. S. Douglass; H. D. 
Huffaker; A. D. Warton; Frank Goodman; A. J. Cavert; P. L. Harned; 
J. L. Brooks. 

1903-05. J. B. Frazier, President ; S. A. Mynders, State Superintendent and 
Secretary ; C. S. Douglass ; H. D. Huffaker ; P. L. Harned ; J. L. Brooks ; 
Wharton S. Jones ; Dr. J. H. Kirkland. 

1905-07. J-^hn L Cox, President ; Seymour A. Mynders, State Superintendent 
and Secretary; H. D. Huffaker; C. S. Douglass; P. L. Harned; J. L. 
Brooks ; Wharton S. Jones ; Dr. J. H. Kirkland. 

1907-09. M. R. Patterson, President; R. L. Jones, State Superintendent and 
Secretary; P. L. Harned; J. L. Brooks; Wharton S. Jones; Dr. J. H. 
Kiikland; A L.Todd. 

1909-11. M. R. Patterson, President; R. L. Jones, State Superintendent and 
Secretary; J. M. Barker; W. N. Billingsly; J.L.Brooks; R. E. L. Bynum; 
T. B. Loggins; A. L. Todd. 



APPENDIX 



2CX1X 



COMMISSIONERS OF AGRICULTURE. 

The Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics, and Mines was established in 1854, 
the governor being ex officio president. E. G. Eastman was elected secretary 
and served to the war. By act of March 4, 1875, ^^ office of Commissioner 
was created, and the department was established on its present basis. 



J. B. Killebrew, 1875-81. 
A. W. Hawkins, 1881-83. 

A. J. McWhirter, 1883-87. 

B. M. Hord, 1887-91. 
D. G. Godwin, 1891-93. 



T. F. P. Allison, 1893-97. 
John T. Esserry, 1897-99. 
Thomas H. Paine, 1899- 1903. 
W. W. Ogilvie, 1903-07. 
John Thompson, 1907-11. 



Thomas F. Peck, 191 1- 



ATTORNEYS-GENERAL. 

The office of Attornev-General and Reporter for the State was created in 
■831. 



George T. Yerger, 1831-39. 

Return J. Meigs, 1839 to November, 

1839. 
West H. Humphreys, 1839-51. 
W. G. Swan, 1851-54. 
John L. T. Sneed, 1854-59. 



John W. Head, 1859 to the war. 
Thomas H. Cold well, 1865-70. 
Joseph B. Heiskell, 1870-78. 
Benjamin J. Lea, 1878-86, 
George W. Pickle, 1886-1902. 
Charles T. Gates, Jr., 1902-. 



JUDGES OF TENNESSEE FROM 1792. 

1792. William Blount, Governor, David Campbell, and Joseph Anderson 
composed the Territorial Court to 1796. 

1796. x\ct of April 9, 1796, established a Superior Court of Law and Equity,, 
and provided for three judges for the state. 



John McNairy, Archibald Roane, and 
Willie Blount were commissioned, 
on April 11, 1796, Judges of the 
Superior Court of Law and Equity 
for the state, 

Howell Tatum {vice McNairy, re- 
signed), 1797-98. 

\V. C. C. Claiborne {vice Willie Blount, 
declined), 1796-97. 

David Campbell, 1 797-1807. 



Andrew Jackson, appointed Septem- 
ber, 1798, and elected December, 
1798, served to 1804. 

Samuel Powell, 1807-09. 

John Overton {vice Jackson), 1804-09. 

Parry W. Humphreys, 1807-09. 

Hugh Lawson White (in place of A. 
Roane), 1801-07. 

Thomas Emmerson {vice White), 
1807-09. 



XXX 



APPENDIX 



JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF ERRORS AND APPEALS. 

By the act of November i6, 1809, a Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals 
was created, Circuit Courts established, and five judicial circuits erected; 
judges elected by the legislature to serve during good behavior. The follow- 
ing served as indicated : — 



Hugh L. White, 1809-15. 

George W. Campbell, 1809-II. 

John Overton, 1811-16. 

W. W. Cooke, 181 5-16 (died). 

Archibald Roane, added to the court 

October 21, 1815, served to 1818. 
Robert Whyte (z//V,? Overton), 1 81 6-35. 
John Haywood, 1816-26. 
Thomas Enimerson, 1 819-22. 
Jacob Peck, 1822-35. 
William L. Brown, added to the court 

in 1822, resigned July, 1824. 



John Catron, 1824-35 (Chief Justice 
from 1831). 

Hugh L. White was elected in 1824, 
but declined. 

Thomas L. Williams was appointed 
vice White, but declined, and the 
legislature declined to fill the va- 
cancy. 

Henry Crabb, appointed, vice Hay- 
wood, in 1827 (died same year). 

Nathan Green, 1831. 



SUPREME COURT UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1834. 



Nathan Green, 1835-53 (resigned). 
William B. Reese, 1835-47. 
William B.Turley, 1835-50 (resigned). 
Robert J. McKinney, 1847-63 (served 

till war discontinued courts). 
Robert L. Caruthers, 1853-61. 
W. F. Cooper, appointed in 186 1 

(served till war discontinued courts). 
A. W. O. Totten {vice Turley), 1850- 

55- 
William R. Harris, 1855-58 (died). 
Archibald Wright, 1858-63 (served 

till war discontinued courts). 



Russell Houston, from January 25, 

1865, to August 24, 1865. 
Samuel Milligan, from January 25, 

1865, to January, 1867. 
Henry G. Smith, from January 25, 

1865, to January, 1867. 
James O. Shackelford, from August 

24, 1865, to 1867 (resigned). 
Andrew McCIain, 1867-70. 
Alvin Hawkins, from June, 1867, to 

1870. 
George Andrews, from June, 1867, to 

1870. 



SUPREME COURT UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1870. 



T. A. R. Nelson, from 1870 to Decem- 
ber 5, 1 87 1 (resigned). 

A. O. P. Nicholson, Chief Justice, from 
1870 to March 23, 1876 (died). 



J. W. Deaderick (Chief Justice, 1878- 

84), 1870-84 (died). 
Robert J. McFarland (tnce Nelson) 

from 1872 to 1884 (died). 



APPENDIX 



XXXI 



Peter Turney (Chief Justice, 1886), 

1870-93. 
Thomas J. Freeman, 1870-86. 
John L. T. Sneed, 1870-78. 
William F. Cooper, 1878-86. 
H. H. Lurton, 1886-93. 
John S. Wilkes, 1894-1908 (died). 
B. D. Bell {vice Wilkes), 1908-10. 



W. C. Fowlkes, 1886-90 (died). 

B. J. Lea, 1890-94 (died). 

D. L. Snodgrass, Chief Justice, 1886- 

1902. 
W. C. Caldwell, Associate Justice, 

1886-1902. 
W. C. McAlister, 1 894-1910. 
W. D. Beard, Chief Justice, 1894-1910 

(died). 



PRESENT SUPREME COURT. 

ELECTED FOR EIGHT YEARS. 



1. John K. Shields (Chief Justice, 

1910), 1902- 

2. M. M. Niel, 1902-. 



3. D. L. Lansden, 1910-. 

4. Grafton Greene, 1910-. 

5. A. S. Buchanan, 1910-. 



LIBRARIANS. 



The office of State Librarian was created in 1854. Prior to that time the 
Secretary of State had been ex officio Librarian. See Chapter XXV. 



Return J. Meigs, 1854-61. 
John E. Hatcher, 1861-65. 
A. Gattinger, 1865-69. 
William H. Wharton, 1869-71. 
Mrs. Paralee Haskell, 1871-79. 
Mrs. S. P. Hatton, 1879-87. 
Mrs. Sue P. Lowe, 1887-91. 



Mrs. Linnie Williams, 1891-95. 
Mrs. Irene Ingram, 1895-97. 
Miss Pauline L. Jones, 1897-99. 
Miss Jennie E. Lauderdale, 1899- 1 90 1. 
Miss Lulu B. Epperson, 1901-03. 
Miss Mary Skeffington, 1903-- 



LEGAL HOLIDAYS IN TENNESSEE. 

(See Acts of 1889, Chapter 63.) 



January i. New Year's Day. 

February 22, Washington's Birthday. 

Good Friday. 

April 2.6, Memorial Day. 

May 30, Decoration Day. 



July 4, Independence Day. 

Thanksgiving. 

December 25, Christmas Day. 

All General Election Days. 



v 



NDEX 



Abolitionists, 180, 195, 197. 

Adams, John Quincy, 152, 189. 

Adams Law, 266. 

Admission of Tennessee, 105. 

Adventurers, 29-33. 

Agricultural and Mechanical College, 284. 

Alabama, Indian war in, 126. 

^\lamance Creek, 37, 40. 

Alamo, 167. 

Albright, W. F., 298. 

Alexander, Abraham, 39. 

Alexander, John, 39. 

Allen, Eliza, 142. 

Ambrister, 133. 

Amendment, thirteenth, 222. 

Anderson, Joseph, 117. 

Anderson, S. R., 202. 

Annapolis, 196. 

Anti-federalists, 115, 184. 

Anti-Saloon League, 267, 276. 

Aranda, Count, 97. 

Arbuthnot, 133. 

Armstrong, Jennie, 284. 

"Articles of Association," 54. 

Asbury, Bishop, iii. 

Ashe, John, 38. 

Asher's Station, 87. 

Atkins, J. D. C, 224. 

Bahama Islands, cession of, 95. 

Baird, John, 102. 

Balch, Hezekiah, iii. 

Banks, 131, 132, 162, 234. 

Barancas, Fort, 26, 96. 

Barnes, Mr., 138. 

Bate, William B., 167, 234, 245, 246, 268. 

Bayer, J. H., 298. 

Bean, Russell, 44. 

Bean, William, 33, 44, 55, 60, 63. 

Beasley, John R., 245. 

Beauregard, General, 204. 

Bell, John, 153, 198, 300. 

Belmont, battle at, 203. 

Benton, Jesse, 126. 

Benton, Thomas H., 126. 



Big Salt Lick, 84, 87. 

Billingsly, W. N., 294, 298. 

Black, William, 117. 

Bledsoe, loi. 

Bledsoe's Station, 87. 

Blind, School for, 162. 

"Bloody First," 173. 

Blount, Barbara, 284. 

Blount College, 11 1, 284. 

Blount, William, territorial governor, loi; 
Indian troubles, 103-105; chairman consti- 
tutional convention, 115, 116; senator. 117; 
charges against, 119. 

Blount, Willie, 117, 122-129. 

Bluffs, battle of the, 91. 

Bonaparte, Napoleon, 123. 

Boone, Daniel, 27, 62. 

Boone Creek, 33, 27. 

Boundary line, 262. 

Bounds, Thomas, 116. 

Bowling, F. M., 294. 

Bowling Green, 202. 

Bowyer, Lewis, 55. 

Boyds Creek, 74. 

Bragg, Braxton, 204, 205. 

Breckenridge, John C, 197. 

Brister, J. W , 281.- 

Brooks, J. L., 298. 

Brown, A V.. opposes H.L.White. 153; admin- 
istration of. 164-167; charges against 170; 
in convention, 172; Postmaster General, 300. 

Bro^^n, Jacob, 44, 55. 

Brown, John, 197. 

Brown, John C, 231, 233-236. 

Brown, Neill S., 170, 171, 233, 300. 

Brown, Mr., 104. 

"Brownlow Debt," 235. 

Brownlow, William G., 157, 222-225. 

Brown's Store, 44, 45, 54. 

Buchanan, James, i66, 180. 

Buchanan, John P., 251-253, 255. 

Buchanan's Station, 104. 

Buckingham, Nathaniel A., 116. 

Buckner, Simon B., 202. 

Buel, General, 204. 



XXXIV 



INDEX 



Buffalo Ridge, iii. 

Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics, and Mines, 

179. 
Burnside, General, 206. 

Cabot, John, 13. 

Cage, William, 80. 

Cairo, 203. 

California, admission of, 197. 

Camden, 68. 

Cameron, Alexander, 56, 68. 

Campbell, David, 79, 80, 82, loi. 

Campbell, George W., 300. 

Campbell, H. T., 265. 

Campbell, William B., 69, 70, 167, 172, 173. 

Canada won by the English, 25. 

Cannon, Newton, 153, 154, 159. 

Capital, state, 162. 

Capitol, state, 146, 162. 

Carmack, Edward Ward. 216, 272. 

Carolina. See North Carolina and South 

Carolina. 
Carpetbaggers, 228. 
Carrick, Samuel, iii. 
Carroll, William, 126, 129, 140, 141, 145-149, 

153- 
Carter, John, 55, 59, 60. 
Carter, Landon, 79, 80, 82, 117. 
Carter, Mr., 44. 

Carters Valley Settlement, 44, 54. 
Cass, Lewis, 171. 
Castalian Springs, 84. 
Castleman, 92, loi. 
Caswell, Governor, 81. 
Caswell, W. R., 202. 
Catron, John, 153, 300. 
Centennial, Tennessee, 257-260. 
Central Tennessee College, 282. 
Cession to United States, 78. 
Champlain, 13, 24. 
Chapman, Thomas, 80. 
Charles II., 14. 
Charleston, 68, 198. 
Chattanooga, 205, 206. 
Cheatham, Benjamin Franklin, 167, 202, 211, 

212, 235, 301. 
Cheatham, Mrs., 63. 
Cherokees, 19, 21, 33, 45, 56. 
Cheves, R. S., 265. 
Chickamauga Creek, 75, 205. 
Chickamaugas, 20, 21, 74. 
Chickasaws, 20, 21, 45, 125, 133, 138. 
Chicksaw Bluffs, 134. 
Chisholm, J., 60. 
Choctaws, 20, 125. 
Christian Brothers' Coiiegc, 271, 282. 
Churches, 112. 



Civil War, 184-207, 301. 

Clarendon Grant, 10, 15. 

Clarion, The, 153. 

Clark, George Rogers, 86. 

Clarke, William, 60. 

Claxton, P. P., 294. 

Clay, Henry, 152, 156, 163, 164. 

Cleveland, Colonel, 69. 

Cobb, William, 60. 

Cocke, William, 58, 82, 102, 117, 126. 

Coffee, John, 126, 129. 

Cole, E. W., 283. 

Colleges, no, iii, 282. See Schools. 

Colonies, 29, 34, 35. 

Columbus, Christopher, 11. 

Columbus, Kentucky, 202. 

"Committee of Notables," 63. 

"Committee of Thirteen," 54, 60, 64. 

"Compact of Government," 87, 92. 

Confederacy, 198, 228. See Civil War. 

Confederate Army, 202-204, 297. See Civil 

War. 
Conservatives, 224. 
Constitution, of North Carolina, 59. 

of Tennessee, 105, 116, 118, 146, 231, 
i-xxv. 

of United States, 194. 
Continental Congress, 39. 
Convention, Constitutional, 115, 147, 231. 

Hartford, 188. 

Mecklenburg, 39. 

Nashville, 221. 

Revision, 221, 222. 

Slaveholders', 196. 

Southern, 172. 
Cook, J. H., 295. 
Cooper, Duncan B., 216a. 
Cooper, Robin, 216(1. 
Coosa River, 75. 
Corinth, Mississippi, 203. 
Cornwallis, 68, 69, 71. , 

Gotten, J. A., 295. ' 

Cotton gin, 193. 

Counties, 42, 43, 102, 103, 135, 136. 
Courts reformed, 146, 147. 
Cowpens, 69. 

Cox, John I., 268-270, 294. 
Crawford, William H., 152. 
Creek War, 125-127, 301. 
Creeks, 20, 21, 125-128, 132. 
Crockett, David, 153, 168, 169. 
Cuba, 95. 

Cumberland, Duke of, 26. 
Cumberland Gap, 202-204. 
Cumberland Settlements, 84-89, 92, 97, 98. 
Cumberland University, 215, 282. 
Cummins, Charles, 111. 



INDEX 



XXXV 



Dal ton, Georgia, 206. 

"Dark and Bloody Ground," 22. 

Davidson Academy, iii. 

Davidson County, 92-94. 

Davis, President, 202. 

De. Mumbreun, Captain, 85. 

De Peyster, 70, 71. 

De Soto, 23, 24. 

Deaf Mutes, School for, 162. 

Declaration of Independence, 39. 

Democratic Republicans, 115, 152, 184. 

Democrats, 152, 156, 161, 172, i8o, 221, 222. 

Doak, Samuel, no, iii. 

Doherty, George, 102. 

Doneison, Andrew Jackson, 172,300. 

Donelson, Fort, 202, 203. 

Doneison, John, 86. 

Donelson, Stockley, 102. 

Douglas, Charles S., 294. 

Douglas, Stephen A., 197. 

"Dragging Canoe," 56, 58. 

Dred Scott Decision, 197. 

Duggan, B. O., 298. 

Dugger, W. S., 298, 

Dunmore, Lord, 73. 

Dutch, 191, 192. 

"Eagle Orator," 175. 

Earthquakes, 122, 123. 

East Tennessee University, 284. 

Eaton, John H., 300. 

Eaton's Station, 87. 

Echota, 75. 

Edwards, R. M., 242. 

Emancipation, 196, 197. 

Emancipation Proclamation, 222. 

Emancipator, The, 195. 

Embree, Elihu, 195. 

English claims, 13. 

English Parliament, 35. 

English settlements, 24, 26, 27. 

Enbree River, 68. 

Etheridge, Emerson, 224, 239. 

Evans, H. Clay, 257. 

Explorers, 23-28. 

Fairs, 179. 

Farmers' Alliance, 251. 

Farragut, David Glascoe, 213, 214. 

"Father of Middle Tennessee," 63, 92. 

Fayetteville, 228. 

Federal Army, 203, 204, 227. See Civil War. 

Federal government, 184-186. 

Federalists, 115, 184. 

Ferguson, Patrick, 68-71. 

"Fifty and four" proposition, 241. 

"Fifty and three ' settlement, 246. 



Filibusters, 208. 

First Text-book Commission, 294. 

Fishing Creek, 202. 

Fisk University, 282, 

Fitzpa trick, Morgan C, 293, 294. 

Fleming, John M., 236. 

Florida, 25, 95, 128, 132, 154- 

Ford, James, 102, 103. 

Forrest, Nathan Bedford, 212, 213, 301. 

Foster, Ephraim H., 153, 164, 166. 

Fowler, James A., 261. 

"Franchise Acts," 223. 

Franklin, battle of, 206. 

Franklin, State of, 65, 78-83. 

Frazier, James B., 265-267, 268, 294, 295, 

Frazier, Thomas N., 265. 

Freeland's Station, 87. 

Freeman, Alfred A., 233. 

French claims, 13. 

French Lick, 24, 84, 86. 

French settlements, 24. 

Fugitive Slave Law, 185. 

Fussell, J. H., 245. 

Garrett, W. R., 291. 
Gasper's Station, 87. 
Gass, W. S., 295. 
Gates, General, 68. 
"General Arbitrators," 88. 
General Education Bill, 296. 
Gentry, Meredith P., 175. 
George III., 30, 37- 
Gilmore, James R., 71. 
Gist, Benjamin, 60. 
Gomley, Thomas, 55. 
Government, Federal, 184-186. 

military, 219, 221, 227. 

of colonies, 29, 34, 35. 

of pioneers, 54. 

provisional, 227. 

state, 115-118, 140, 141, 147, 219. 

territorial, loi, 102, 118. 
"Graded interest settlement," 244. 
Grangers, 251. 

Grant, General, 203-205, 211, 235. 
Greeley, Horace, 236. 
Greenback party, 241. 
Greene College, in. 
GreeneviUe, 79, iii. 
Greer, Andrew, 60. 
Griswold, Roger, 189. 
Grundy, Felix, 153, 154, 300- 

Haile, John, 59. 

Halifax, 59. 

Hall, Allen A., 153, 300. 

Hall, William, 129, 141-143. 



XXXVl 



INDEX 



Hamilton, Alexander, 115. 

Hard Labor, 32. 

Hardee, William J., 202. 

Hardin, Joseph, 102. 

Harned, P. L., 2q5. 

Harris, Isham Greene, 180, 182, 198, 199, 

300. 
Harris, James A., 269. 
Harris, Jeremiah, 157. 
Harrison, William Henry, 156, 157. 
Hartford Convention, 188. 
Haskell, W. T., 167. 
Hatton, Robert, 180. 
Hawkins, Alvin, 242, 245. 
Heaton's Station, 56, 57. 
Henderson, Richard, 62, 84. 
Henry, Fort, 202, 203. 
Henry, G. A. (the " Eagle Orator"), 175. 
Hiawassee River, 75. 
" Hickory Ground," 127. 
• Hillhouse, James 188. 
Honeycut, Mr., 63. 
Hood, General, 206. 
Hooper. Benjamin W. 279-281. 
Horseshoe, battle of the, 127. 
Houghton, Thomas, 60. 
Houston, Sam, 82, 129, 141, 142. 
Huffaker, H. D., 295. 
Huguenots, 64. 
Huntsville, 126. 

"Immortal Thirteen," i6i, 166. 

"Income Tax Bill," 262. 

Indian Commissioners, 30. 

Indian raids, 57, 58, 88, 132. 

Indian wars, 46, 73-76; in Middle Tennessee, 
103-105; Creek War, 125-127; Seminole 
War, 132, 133. 

Indians, 17-22; rights of, 13, 30-31; in Inter- 
colonial wars, 25, 29; destroy Fort Loudon, 
27; land bought from, 45, 134; attack 
Cumberland Settlement, 91; Spaniards aid, 
96, 97. See Cherokees, Chickamaugas, 
Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Iroquois, 
Seminoles, Shawnees. 

Insane, hospital for, 146, 148. 

Insurrection among coal miners, 252, 253. 

"Intercolonial Wars," 25, 29, 35, 95. 

Internal improvements, 146, 147, 161, 234. 

Iroquois, 21, 32. 

Isbell, Zach, 55, 60. 

Island Flats, 58. 

Island No. 10, 203, 204. 

Jackson, Andrew, 150-153; names Ten- 
nessee, 105; representative in Congress, 
117; judge of the Superior Court, 118; 



in War of 1812, 124, 125; in Creek War, 
126; Major General United States Army, 
128, 129; in Seminole War, 133; Presi- 
dent, 185. 

Jackson, Howell E., 300. 

Jamestown, 24, 192. 

Jefferson, Thomas, 115, 119, 185, 188, 194. 

Johnson, .Andrew, one of "Immortal Thir- 
teen," 161; Governor of Tennessee, 175- 
177; Military Governor, 204, 221; Presi- 
dent, 227; candidate for Congress, 235; 
United States senator, 239. 

Johnson, Cave, 153, 300. 

Johnston, Albert Sidney, 202-204. 

Jones, James Chamberlain, 159-164. 

Jones, John, 55. 

Jones, R. L., 276, 295. 298. 

Jones, Wharton S., 294. 

Jonesboro, 67, 79. 

Kansas- Nebraska Bill, 197. 

Kelly, Alexander, 102. 

Kentucky, 73, 135. 

"Kentucky Resolutions," 185. 

Key. David M , 239, 300 

Kilvington, W. C. 283. 

Kings Mountain 64, 69-71, 301. 

Kirkland, Dr. J. H., 295. 

Knox, General, 136. 

Knoxville, capital at, 102, 116; Constitu- 
tional Convention at, 105, 115; Blount 
College founded near, 1 1 1 ; named for Gen- 
eral Knox, 136; legislature at, 162; army 
headquarters at, 202 ; battles of, 206. 

Ku Klux Klan, 228-231. 

La Salle, 13, 24. 

Lacy, Hopkins, 102. 

Lambert, Jeremiah, in. 

Land warrants, 31, 32. 

Lane, Tidence, iii. 

Lea, Margaret, 142. 

Lebanon, 282. 

Lee, General, 206. 

Legislature, territorial, 102; state, 116, 162. 

Lewis, General, 73. 

Lexington, 38. 

Library, state, 178. 

Lincoln, President, 182, 198, 199, 221. 

Longstreet, General, 206. 

Lookout Mountain, 205, 206. 

Loudon, Fort, 27. 

Louisiana, 24, 119, 169, 188. 

Louisville, 203. 

Lowry, John, 117. 

"Loyal League," 228, 230. 

Lucas, Robert, 55, 60. 



INDEX 



XXXVll 



Lundy, Benjamin, 195. 
Lyon, P. A., 298. 
Lynn, Henry J., 244. 

McClellan, General, 221. 

McClung, Polly, 284- 

McDowell, General, 68. 

McGillivray, Alexander, 97, 98. 

McMaihen, Jno., 60. 

McMillin, Benton, 259, 262, 293. 

McMinn, Joseph, 102, 131-139. 

McNabb, Jno., 60. 

McNabb, William, 60. 

McNairy, John, 117. 

Mackall, General, 203. 

Maclin, William, 115, 117. 

Madison, James, 185. 

Mansker, Casper, 86, 92. 

Marblehead, 188. 

Marks, Albert S., 239, 242. 

Marling, John L., 300. 

Martin Academy, 110. 

Mason, Charles, 294. 

Maury, Matthew Fontaine, 213. 

Maynard, Horace, 211, 212,235, 238, 239 

300. 
"Mecklenburg Resolutions," 39, 40. 
Meigs, R. J., 178. 
Memphis, 136, 137, 202, 204. 
Mennonites, 193. 
Mexican War, 142, 166-169, 30i- 
Middle Tennessee settled, 84-89, 92, 97, 98. 
Military government, 219, 221, 227. 
Mill Springs, battle of, 203. 
Mimms, Fort, 125. 
Miners' insurrection, 252, 253. 
Minutemen, 36. 
"Miro District," loi. 
Miro, Don Estevan, 100. 
Missionary Ridge, 205. 

Mississippi River, Spanish control, 96, 97, 
100, 103; Americans control, 119; in Civil 
War, 203. 
Missouri Compromise, 197. 
Mobile, 128, 214. 
Monroe, President, 132, 133. 
Montgomery, 198. 
Moultrie, William, 68. 
Murfreesboro, 162, 205. 
Murrel, John A., 154. 
Mynders, S. A., 266, 270, 276, 294, 295. 

Nash, Colonel, 136. 

Nashborough, 87, 91. 

Nashville, 87; named for Colonel Nash, 136; 
hospital for insane at, 148; legislature at, 
162; State Fair at, 179: army headquarters 



at, 202; battle of, 206; convention at, 221; 

centennial at, 257-260. 
Nashville Union, 153. 
National Observatory, 213. 
National Republicans, 152, 153. 
Navy, reforms in, 213. 
Negro schools, 236, 282, 288. 
Negroes, 170, 184, 228. See Slavery. 
Netherland, John, 180. 
New Orleans, 95, 128, 214. 
Newspapers, 153, 157. 
Nicaragua, 209. 
Nicholls, Colonel, 128. 
Nicholson, A. O. -P., 172. 
Nickojack Expedition, 104, 105. 
"Night Riders," 274. 
"Nollichucky Jack," 76. 
Nollichucky Settlement, 45, 54. 
North Carolina, Tennessee part of, 15, 45'. 

Watauga Association annexed to, 59; cedes 

Tennessee to United States, 78; Franklin 

State formed in, 79-8.^. 
Northwest Territory, 194. 
"Notables," 88. 
Nueces River, 167. 
Nullification, 184-189. 
"Nullification Ordinance," 185. 

Oconostota, 84. 
"Old Abraham," 56, 58. 
"Old Frank," 211. 
"Old Guard," 289. 
"Old Hickory," 127. 
"Ordinance of 1787." i94' 
Ordinance of Secession, 199. 
Ore, Major, 104, 105. 
Over-mountain men, 69. 

Paine, Thomas H., 246, 291, 294. 

Parker, Mr., 44. 

Parliament, English, 34, 35. 

Patterson, Malcolm R., 269, 271, 298. 

Patterson, Martha, 177. 

Peabody Educational Fund, 286. 

Peabody, George, 285. 

Peabody Normal College, 282, 286. 

Pendleton, George H., 221. 

Penitentiary lease system, 249, 252. 2-^3, 256. 

Penitentiary, state. 146, 148. 

Pennsylvania Personal Liberty Bill. 185, 186. 

Pensacola, 128, 133. 

Pensions, 270, 274. 

Perryville, 205. 

Personal Liberty Bill, 185, 186. 

Pierce, Franklin, 172, i73- 

Pillow, Fort, 202-204. 

Pillow, Gideon Johnson, 167, 202, 209. 



XXXVlll 



INDEX 



Pioneers, 44-51. 107-113. 

Pirates, river, 154, 155. 

Pittsburg Landing, 204. 

Plumer, Governor, 188. 

Point Pleasant, 73. 

Political Reconstruction, 221, 225. 

Polk, James K., Governor of Tennessee, 154, 
156; stump-speaking of, 159, 160; in Mexi- 
can War, 167; President., 163-165, 299; 
Speaker of House, 300. 

Po'.k, Mrs., 246. 

Polk, Leonidas, 202, 210. 

Polk, William H., 300. 

Pontiac's War, 30. 

Port Royal, 24. 

Porter, James D., 238, 239. 

Postage stamps, 300. 

Price, Thomas, 60. 

Prohibition, 250, 275. 

"Prophet," The, 125. 

Provincial Congress of North Carolina, 59. 

Provisional governments, 227. 

Prudhomme, Fort, 24. 

Public schools, 236. See Schools. 

Quebec, 24. 
Quincy, Josiah, 188. 

Radicals, 224. 

Railroads, 148. 

Raines, John, 86, 101. 

Ramsey, Francis A., 82, 116. 

"Raven," The, 56. 

"Rear Guard of tne Revolution," 71. 

Reconstruction, domestic, 217, 220. 

political, 221-225, 227. 
Reelfoot River, 123. 
Reeves, Charlotte, 62. 
Regulators, 36, 37. 
Religion, iii, 112. 
Republicans, 221, 231. 

Democratic, 152, 184. 

National, 152, 153. 
Revision Convention, 221, 222. 
Revolutionary M'ar, 34-40, 68-71. 
Rhea, John, 117. 
Richmond, Kentucky, 204. 
Right of search, 123. 
Rio Grande River, 167. 
River pirates, 154, 155. 
Roane, Archibald, 117, 118, 120. 
Robertson, Charles, 55, 59, 60. 
Robertson, James, 62-64; in "Committee of 

Thirteen," 55; in Indian wars, 58, 73, 103- 

105; justice of peace, 60; chairman of 

"Notables," 63, 88; at French Lick, 86; 

called "Father of Middle Tennessee," 92; 



representative in North Carolina legisla- 
ture, 92; Brigadier General, loi; and 
Spanish Governor, 100, loi. 

Robertson, Mrs., 91. 

Roger Williams University, 2S2. 

Rogersville, 102. 

Romine Bill, 266. 

Roulstone, George, 102. 

Running Water, 104. 

Russell, George, 55, 60. 

Rutherford, Governor, 68. 

Rutherford, Griffith, 102. 

Rutlage, George, 102. 

Salem, Tennessee, no. 

San Antonio, 167. 

San Diego, 208. 

San Jacinto, 142. 

Santa Anna, 168. 

Savannah, Georgia, 68. 

Schools 108-110, 171, 236, 246, 282-298. 

School for Blind and for Deaf, 162, 282, 283. 

Scott, Wintield, 173. 

Sears, Dr., 2S4. 

Secession, 182, 184-189, 198, 199, 227. 

Secession of Tennessee, 181, 199. 

Second Text-book Commission, 266, 295. 

Seminole War, 132, 133, 154. 

Seminoles, 127, 132. 

Senter, D. W. C, 225, 227, 231. 

Settlement, of East Tennessee, 32, 33, 40, 44, 
45, 53-60. 
of Middle Tennessee (Cumberland), 84-89, 

92, 97, 98. 
of West Tennessee, 133-136. 

Settlements, English, 24, 26, 27. 
French, 24. 

Sevier, John, 64, 65; in Watauga Association, 
55; in Indian wars, 58, 74, 75; delegate to 
Provincial Congress, 59; justice of peace, 
60; Colonel Washington County, 67; in 
Revolutionary War, 68, 69, 71, 301; Gov- 
ernor State of Franklin, 79, 80; tried for 
treason, 82 ; fame of, 82 ; Brigadier General 
East Tennessee, 101; member Legislative 
Council, 102; Governor of Tennessee, 117. 
118, 120. 

Sevier, John, Jr., 115, 117. 

Sevier, Valentine, 60, 73. 

Sewanee, 210. 

Shawnees, 21, 125. 

Shelby, Evan, 73, 74. 

Shelby, Isaac, Colonel Sullivan County, 67; 
in Revolutionary War, 68, 69, 7i". subdues 
Indians, 73; purchases West Tennessee 
133- 

Shelby, John, Jr., 60. 



INDEX 



xxxix 



Shelbyville, 205. 

Sherrill, Katherine ("Bonnie Kate"), 64. 

Shiioh, 204. 

Shoat, Christopher, 102. 

Signal service bureau, 213. 

"Sixty and six" compromise, 241. 

"Sky-Blues," 245. 

Slaveholders' convention, 196. 

Slavery, 191 ; strife over admission of Texas, 

170; party contiict about, 184; abolished, 

222. See Civil War. 
Smith, Frank M., 291. 
Smith, James, 55. 
Sonora, 208. 
Sons of Liberty, 36. 
South. See Civil War. 
South Carolina, 15, 185, 188. 
South Western Baptist University, 282. 
South Western Presbyterian University, 282. 
Southampton, 196. 
Southern convention, 172. 
Spain, 95-98, 132, 133. 

claims of, 12, 26. 
Spanish explorations, 23. 
Spencer, Thomas Sharpe, 84, 85, 92. 
St. Marks, 133. 
Stanwix, Fort, 32, 73. 
State Board of Education, 286. 
State commanders, 202. 
State debt, 162, 231, 234, 240. 244, 246. 
State government, 115-118, 140, 141, 147, 

219. 
State, growth of, 154. 
State Guard, 254. 
State Library, 178. 
State's rights party, 184. 
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

236. 
State Teachers' Association, 288. 
Stearns, Dr. Eben S., 286. 
Stewart, Virgil, 155. 
Stinson, J. G., 294. 
Stokes, William B., 225. 
Stones River, 87. 
Stuart, James, 60, 68, 117. 
Sub Commissions, 264, 294-298. 
Sullivan County, 67. 
Sullivans Island, 68. 
Sumter, Fort, 198. 

Talbot, Thomas, 80. 
Tallapoosa River, 127. 
Tariff, 184. 
Tatham, William, 55. 
Tatum, Howell, 117. 
Taylor, -Alfred A., 248. 
Taylor, Leroy, 102. 



Taylor, Parmenas, 102. 

Taylor, Robert C, 248-251, 258. 

Taylor, Zachary, 167, 170, 171. 

Teachers' Institute, 289. 

Tecumseh, 125. 

Tellico River, 75. 

Tennessee Centennial, 257, 260. 

Tennessee County, 102, 103. 

Tennessee Historical Society, 178. 

Tennessee Industrial School, 282, 283. 

Territorial government, 101-103. 

Territory, 100-105. 

Texas, 142, 166, 167, 189, 197. 

Text-book Commissions, 264, 294-298. 

Thirteen English colonies, 29, 95. 

Thirteenth amendment, 222. 

Thomas, General, 20^. 

Tilghman, Lloyd, 202. 

Tipton, John, 80, 82, 102, 118, 138. 

Todd, A. L., 29s, 298. 

Tohopeka, 127. 

Tories, 36, 54, 59, 68. 

Transylvania, 62. 

"Transylvania Company," 64. 

Travis, William, 167. 

Treaty, between England and France, 28, 29. 

between United States and Spain, 119. 

ending War of 1812, 128. 

with Indians, 30, 33, 67. 
Trousdale, Leon, 291. 
Trousdale, William, 167, 171-173, 300. 
Tryon, Governor, 37. 
Tuckasege, 75. 
Turney, H. L., 161. 
Turney, Peter, 255-257. 
Turney, Samuel, 161. 

"Uniform Text-book Law," 264, 293. 
Union City, 202. 
Union, Fort, 87. 
University of Nashville, 286. 
University of Tennessee, iii, 282, 285. 
University of the South, 210, 282. 

Van Buren, Martin, 152, 153, 156. 

Vandcrbilt University, 282. 

Vicksburg, 155. 

Virginia, 44. 

"Virginia Resolutions," 185. 

"Volunteer State," 129, 167. 

Walker, Felix, 55. 

Walker, Thomas, 26. 

Walker, William, 208. 

Walton, Jesse, 60. 

"War Horse of Sumner County," 172, 

War, Civil, 184-207, 301. 



xl 



INDEX 



U'ar, Indian. See Indian Wars. 

Intercolonial, 25, 29, 35, 95. 

of 1812, 123-128, 301. 

Revolutionary, 34-40. 68-71. 
Ward, Edward, 140. 
Ward, Nancy, 56, 75. 
Washington College, no. 
Washington County, 59, 60, 67, 78. 
Washington District, 56, 59. 
Watauga Association, 44, 53-60, 63, in. 
Watauga, Fort, 56, 57. 
Wear, Samuel, 102. 
Weather bureau, 213. 
Weathersford, William, 125-127. 
West Indies, 11, 191. 
West Tennessee, 133-136. 
Wharton, A. D., 294. 
Wheels, 251. 
Whig, The, 153, 222. 
Whigs, 36, 59, 153, 156, 161, 173, 180. 
White, Hugh L., 152, 153, 300. 



White, James, 102. 
White, Richard, 60, 
Whitney, Eli, 193. 
Wilkinson, General, 124. 
Williams, James, 300. 
Williams, Thomas H., 117. 
Wilson, Benjamin, 60. 
Wilson, David, 102. 
Wilson, Joseph, 60. 
Wilson, S. F., 242. 
Winchester, James, 102, 116. 
Winstead, George W., 255. 
Wisener, W. H., 229, 233. 
Wolcott, Governor, 188. 
Wolf's Hill, 44, 54- 
W'omac, Jacob, 55, 60. 
Woods, Michael, 60. 
Wright, A. H., 295. 
Wright, John V., 242. 

Zollicoffer, Felix X., 202, 203. 



JUL 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



Hill III L III 

0014611 0101 



